Evermore in the Wind
by deanstheman
Summary: (Early season 8 - goes AU) A shocking discovery while following a lead from the demon tablet throws the Winchesters' secluded hunter lifestyle into chaos and raises the stakes of their quest to shut down Hell. Can they rise to the challenge once more or is the cost this time simply too high? Sequel to Someone to Save You (and also for Band of Misfits).
1. Serendipity

_**Summary: **__(Early season 8 - goes AU) __A shocking discovery while following a lead from the demon tablet throws the Winchesters' secluded hunter lifestyle into chaos and raises the stakes of their quest to shut down Hell. Can they rise to the challenge once more or is the cost this time simply too high? Sequel to Someone to Save You (and also for Band of Misfits). _

_**Set-up: **__This fic is set in season 8 but will be partially AU. The brothers still have the demon tablet and have completed the first trial of killing a Hellhound same as cannon but the rest of the trials will be completely different in this story. __Cas hasn't made it back from Purgatory yet (but don't worry, he will) but there will be no Naomi in this story pulling Cas's strings and no angel tablet. _

_This fic is a sequel to my season 2 fic _**Someone to Save You**_ but also brings in a character (Nia) from my Purgatory fic _**Band of Misfits**_, so it can be considered a sequel to that too. For those of you who haven't read _**Band of Misfits**_, Nia was a human Cas found in Purgatory who had been there a long time and was a bit wild. She and Cas developed a close relationship but she went to stay with Benny when Cas didn't make it out of Purgatory. Dean hasn't mentioned her but Sam did find out about Benny (the episode Blood Brothers happened as in cannon), though he only met him the once._

_If you haven't read _**Someone to Save You**_, don't worry, I will have the characters explain the events as needed to follow along, though it is definitely better to have read it. _

_This fic has OC's throughout but is told entirely from Sam, Dean, & Cas pov. There is definitely some romance but nothing goes very smoothly for any of our three heroes and I never let them get too cozy. _

******~X~X~X~X~**

**CHAPTER 1 – Serendipity**

"Okay, run it by me again," Dean said to his brother as they neared the address Kevin had given them.

Sam didn't complain even though he had already told Dean everything he had found in the Men of Letters archives twice. He was actually glad for the little glimpse of their old routine. Dean used to always ask his 'geek brother' to repeat the facts of the case right before they got started but the routine had faded in recent times. Things had been strained between the brothers since Dean had returned from Purgatory to find out Sam hadn't searched for him. Sam's discovery of the vampire that Dean had apparently brought back with him hadn't helped matters any so a brief return to the way it used to be between them was more than welcomed by the younger of the two.

"Alright, it's a weapon that's supposed to come in handy for the second trial."

"Course we don't even know what the trial is yet," Dean interrupted.

"Right, but better to have our hands on this weapon by the time Kevin figures that out."

"It's been weeks already," Dean pointed out, tension evident in the way his fingers were curled around the top of the steering wheel. "_Weeks_. And so far, secret agent Double-O-Kevin has only deciphered the first trial."

"It's closing the Gates of Hell forever, Dean. Locking every demon away for good. It's not supposed to be easy."

Sam didn't miss the familiar sideways glance his big brother gave him, that subtle scrutiny searching for signs of the toll the first trial had taken on Sam's health. He knew Dean was still pissed that he had stepped in and killed the Hell Hound and therefore taken on the challenge of the trials, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for it. No way was he letting Dean be a martyr and go down in a bloody blaze of glory, even if that was what Dean wanted, or at least expected. They were both getting out of this alive.

"I'm fine," Sam answered to the unspoken question posed by the worried frown on Dean's face. "I told you, it's just a little cough."

Dean mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like _"Little cough my ass_," but returned his gaze to the road. "Okay, back to the weapon."

Sam nodded, eager to turn the focus back on the current quest. "The Bow of Bargaest. It's supposed to be an extremely powerful weapon of demonic origin only we're not sure why. I'm guessing it's special in the way the Colt was special. Since it's mentioned on the tablet, I think it's safe we can assume its arrows kill whatever thing the next trial has me going up against."

Dean tensed all over again. "Yeah 'coz a Hell Hound wasn't friggin' bad enough."

Sam ignored the remark. "The Men of Letters archives didn't have much on it but they did know it links itself to its owner and you have to kill the previous owner to take possession of it and get its magic to work for you."

"So we get to gank the demon bastard who owns the thing. Bonus."

"Yeah, as long as it's a demon who owns it," Sam pointed out the obvious. "And Dean, _**I **_have to kill it, okay? I mean, it won't do me any good in the next trial if the bow only works for you."

Dean's face darkened. "I got it."

Sam decided to keep going with his recap in an effort to ease the rising tension in the car. "The Men of Letters had been looking for the bow for a long time and had figured out that little tracking spell we did…"

"Which pointed us to Pawhuska, Oklahoma," Dean drawled sarcastically as they passed a couple of girls sitting side by side on a bench and giggling at a teenage boy who was showing off on a skateboard in front of them. "The epicenter of all that's evil."

"What better place to hide this thing?" Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, about that. Howcome the Men of Letters got nothin' when they did the little spell trying to dig this thing up and first time we try it… there it is, one state and barely five hours away. That doesn't seem fishy to you?"

"Of course it does, Dean, but that's not exactly going to stop us, is it? Kevin thinks we need it for the second trial so we can't afford not to check this address out."

"What's the number again?" was Dean's only reply.

"House number 867. It's right at the very end of this street."

They were there two minutes later and Dean slowed the Impala to a halt on the shoulder of the road behind a beat-up Tercel and a grey van. The bungalow was a good distance past the last in the row of neat but modest townhouses, out of eyesight and even more out of place. It looked significantly older and more run-down than its neighbors, although its lawn was recently mowed and a kid's bike was propped up against the porch railing.

Both brothers studied the house for half a minute from the confines of the car before Dean opened his door to make his way round to the trunk. Sam joined him and soon they were heading up the cracked stones of the long walk, Ruby's dagger among the small arsenal they had hidden beneath their jackets.

They were only halfway to the house when they heard a shout from inside. A few loud bangs and knocks followed then the sound of shattering glass. Weapons were drawn and they ran the last few steps. Dean shouldered open the front door without slowing and stepped inside, Sam right behind him.

The foyer opened up into a sparse but homey living room with a bright kitchen beyond. There was a lot of noise coming from the back of the house somewhere and the brothers instinctively moved in that direction. They had barely reached the kitchen when a young boy came running towards them from down the hallway, wide-eyed and clearly terrified. He froze in his tracks when he saw them.

Dean instantly hid his gun behind his back and dropped to one knee in front of the child. "Kid, you live here?"

The dark-haired boy, who couldn't have been more than five or six, just nodded.

"Is your Mommy or Daddy home?"

He nodded again. "Mommy."

Dean was up and ushering the kid towards his brother before the boy had even finished speaking. "Get him outside," he said tersely. "I got this."

Sam knew he was being given the safe task because Dean didn't think he was at a hundred percent but with a child in danger, he didn't have time to argue. Instead he thrust Ruby's knife hilt-first towards his brother. "Take this." There was a demon weapon somewhere at this address so it stood to reason there would be demons involved in the commotion at the end of the hallway, whether they were hiding the bow or whether they were looking for it same as the Winchesters. This might be a case of an innocent family getting in the way or demons posing as a family to keep a low profile, who knew? He wouldn't be surprised by anything at this point.

Dean nodded and snatched the knife before charging down the hallway, glancing backwards just once to see Sam picking up the little boy. The noise seemed to be coming from the room at the very end and he wasted no time in throwing open the last door, knife held ready.

He wasn't expecting the sight that greeted him and it took him a few heartbeats to assess the situation. There were four bodies strewn across the floor, lying still and looking very dead and shards of the broken dresser mirror littered the carpet. Three other occupants were still on their feet in the crowded bedroom. There was a man standing on the bed aiming a gun in the direction of the window where another man and a woman were grappling violently with one another. The man in the struggle definitely had the upper hand and his eyes flashed black when his head turned briefly towards Dean.

That was enough for Dean to make his decision. Demons didn't generally point guns at people so he was betting the man at the window was the only demon and he lunged for it. He gave its shoulder a hard yank and pulled it off the woman far enough to clear the way for him to thrust Ruby's knife deep into its belly.

The demon made a chortled sound and clawed at the hunter as the lights flashed beneath its skin. Dean gave it a hard shove towards the floor and turned to the woman, who was breathing heavily and clutching the windowsill to regain her balance.

"You okay?" he questioned hastily.

She started brushing the blonde hair out of her eyes to get a better look at him but then suddenly gasped and looked down. Her fingers grabbed at a flash of silver and orange that had just appeared above her right breast. She pulled the small object out and dropped it to the floor but began to sway immediately. Startled, Dean swung his head around to see the man on the bed grinning. His eyes were now black and he was moving the aim of the gun he held from the woman to Dean.

The hunter launched himself immediately sideways and doubled back, avoiding the dart fired at him and leaping up onto the bed in an impressive display of athleticism. He had been good before, but a year in Purgatory had sharpened all of his fighting and survival skills to a point where he didn't have to even think, he just reacted. He swung Ruby's knife in a smooth downward arc that ended in the middle of the demon's back. The man roared in pain and dismay and dropped his gun onto the floral bedspread before toppling off the side of the bed to land sprawled over one of the bodies littering the floor.

Dean snatched up the demon's dropped gun as he jumped back down, his brow furrowed in confusion as he got a closer look at it. A tranquilizer gun? How had he not noticed that? And why would demons be trying to tranquilize a lady and her kid?

He turned his attention back to the now-unconscious woman on the floor and stepped forward to press two fingers to her neck in search of a pulse. It was fast and wildly erratic, but it was strong. He slid one arm under her knees and was about to slide the other one under her shoulders to scoop her up and carry her out to the car but he stopped short when her head lolled towards him and he got his first good look at her face.

"Jenna?" he stammered in shock, dropping her the few inches back down to the well-worn carpet. "Jen?" Not surprisingly, he got no response.

It was her, of that he had no doubts. Jenna Harrison. One of Azazel's psychic kids. She looked older but it had been six years since he had last laid eyes on her so that was to be expected. She had only been twenty-three at the time. He had given up on finding her alive years ago after she had disappeared without a trace despite promising to keep in touch. Her and Tyler and Quinn…

"Oh crap," he breathed, standing up immediately to survey the other bodies in the room. He turned the two over that were face-down to get a good look at them but didn't recognize any of them.

Tyler and Quinn weren't here. Thank God. It didn't mean they were still alive but at least they weren't any of these dead bodies.

He moved quickly back to Jenna and scooped her up. There could be demon reinforcements coming and he needed to get her and her son to safety… wait, _her son?_ When the Hell did that happen? His thoughts were interrupted when his eyes fell on a wooden bow with intricate carvings up the full length of its limb. It was lying on the floor near where Jenna had fallen with a woven quiver containing three arrows at its side.

_The Bow of Bargaest._ It had to be.

His arms already full, he snatched them up awkwardly and made his way back down the hallway only to run into Sam on his way back in. He voiced his first thought.

"Dude, where's the kid?"

"In the car." Sam's eyes fell to the blonde then down to the ancient weapon in Dean's hand. "Dean,_** I**_ was supposed to kill the bow's owner!"

"Too late; everyone's dead. Let's go." Dean kept walking right past Sam and out the front door.

"Is that the kid's mom?"

"It's Jenna Harrison."

"Jenna? As in Jenna and Quinn?" Sam had turned and started to follow him out the door but he stopped suddenly and looked back into the house.

"Quinn and Tyler aren't here," Dean called out, knowing immediately why his brother was hesitating. "But we gotta get these two out of here in case more demons show up. Come on!"

Dean laid Jenna down in the back seat next to the scared-looking little boy before handing Sam the bow and quiver and running around to the driver's side. The Impala was back out on the road within seconds, an endless stream of questions pouring out of Sam's mouth. Dean raised a hand to stop the bombardment and glanced over his shoulder at the boy.

"Hey kid, you doin' okay?"

He got a nod in response.

"Is that your mommy?" Dean pressed.

The boy nodded again. "The bad men came in and she fighted them," he said quietly. "She got hurt."

Sam twisted in his seat. "Hey, she's gonna be fine, little guy." He gave Dean a glance that questioned the truth of his words but Dean nodded in confirmation. "What the Hell happened in there, Dean?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Demons shot her with a tranquilizer dart," Dean explained, keeping his voice low also.

"What?" Sam's face registered surprise and confusion at the completely unexpected statement so Dean relayed the rest of what had happened inside. When they were a few minutes away from the house, he pulled over and stepped out of the car, opening the back door to pull the seat belt around the little boy.

"Your mom's gonna be fine," Dean said in a comforting voice. "She's just sleeping right now. What's your name?"

"Lucas."

"Well, Lucas, I'm Dean and that," he pointed to Sam in the front seat, "is my little brother Sam. I'm just gonna buckle you up here and then we're gonna take you and your mom somewhere safe, okay?"

"Okay."

"You were really brave back there, buddy. How old are you anyhow?"

"Five."

"Five, huh?" Dean grinned as he finished buckling the boy in and backed up. "You're practically a man already. Have you had your supper yet?"

"No."

"We'll have to fix that, won't we? You like burgers and fries, right?"

"No."

"Huh?"

Sam stifled a laugh at the look of utter shock on Dean's face while at the same time feeling touched by watching his brother interact with the kid so easily. Unlike Sam, Dean had always been good with kids. He had such a natural fatherly instinct, probably stemming from the fact that he had been both brother and parent to Sam from the tender age of five. His domestic year with Ben had certainly helped and in light of the disturbing eagerness to dive headfirst into violent hunts that had blossomed since his stint in Purgatory, Sam was pleased to see Dean slip back into his old self. He even managed to get the kid to drink a sip of holy water from his flask. Luckily, there was no reaction.

Sam turned his attention to the bow as Dean climbed back in the driver's seat. It was an impressive work of art with intricate etchings adorning even the string. If it was indeed as ancient as the Men of Letters believed it to be, then there was definitely some supernatural power to it because it was made of wood yet showed no signs of rot or age. Not even a scratch other than the etchings on it and the three arrows.

"We're going to have to find a way to conceal this," he thought out loud. "If we tracked it down, someone else will surely know that spell too. I'm thinking we could put it in one of the Men of Letters big lockboxes, keep the demons from finding it until we kill the one who's the current owner and we're ready to use it."

"Good idea." Dean didn't point out that he had just killed two demons and may in fact be the current owner.

"What about them?" Sam gestured over his shoulder at the pair in the back seat.

"We take 'em to the bunker."

"What? Really?" Sam was surprised. "I thought it was supposed to be a _secret_ bunker, Dean. We haven't even told Garth about it yet and you want to bring a girl we haven't seen in years there?" Sam wasn't sure it was a good idea. They had no idea where Jenna had been for the past six years. She had been one of Azazel's 'special children', just like him – and just like Jake and Ava and Max and Ansen Weems, all of whom had turned deadly. "I mean, we don't know her anymore, Dean. What she's been through, what the demons wanted with her, where her loyalties lie…"

"Her loyalties lie with her son."

"Then what is she doing with dangerous weapons and demons in her house instead of taking him to playdates and swimming lessons?"

"Maybe she doesn't have a choice! Like Dad didn't. You said it yourself, we don't know what's being going on with her."

Sam sighed, not liking how he was coming off as the insensitive one here. He should have known Dean's protective instincts would be at full tilt the moment a child became involved. He was also aware Jenna and Tyler had been a source of worry and self-blame for Dean since the brothers had lost track of them six years ago. "I'm just saying let's be careful."

Dean's jaw was set in a tight line. "Look, whether or not she meets your parenting standards, she just stirred up a hornet's nest with the demons. Since when do demons use tranquilizer guns? They're obviously after her for something and she needs to go someplace safe. The bunker's demon-proof and it's the only safe place we've got now that Bobby's panic room's gone. You saw the state Kevin's in; we can't exactly stash them on Garth's boat with him."

"You're right," Sam conceded, raising a hand in a gesture of peace. "Let's hit a Subway drive-thru for the kid and head back to Kansas."

"Now there's something you should be worried about," Dean snorted.

"What is?"

"What kind of kid doesn't like burgers and fries?"

Two hours later found them cruising along the 135 towards Lebanon, Kansas and the safety of the Men of Letters bunker. It was dark outside and Lucas had fallen asleep with his head cranked ninety degrees sideways and resting on Jenna's shoulder, half-eaten sandwich lying forgotten on his lap. They drove in silence for a while before Dean turned to find Sam staring right at him with an expectant expression and a smirk.

It always worried Dean when Sam smirked. "What?" he challenged defensively.

"You telling me it hasn't occurred to you at all?" was the accusing reply.

"What hasn't occurred to me?" Dean looked genuinely confused.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Do the math, Dean. The kid's five. I mean, even you have to agree it does suggest…"

"Suggest what? What are you… oh, I see what you're thinking." Dean snorted indignantly. "The kid ain't mine, Sam."

"You sure? Because you have to admit the timing…"

"The kid ain't mine coz I never slept with her."

Sam raised a skeptical eyebrow. He remembered Dean and Jenna together; the affection between them had been obvious. They had been prisoners in a small room together at the hands of demons for days, then on the run in the woods together before Sam and Jenna's hunter friend, Quinn, had found them. The next few days had been spent hiding out in a motel room with Sam, Quinn, and the teenager Tyler, also one of Azazel's 'special children', while Quinn recuperated from a gunshot wound. Dean and Jenna barely left each other's sides the entire time and Sam had always assumed his brother had slept with the pretty blonde at some point. Twenty-seven year old Dean hadn't exactly been known for his restraint.

"Even the three days we spent holed up in that motel room?" he pressed.

Dean shook his head. "Dude, you and Quinn and Tyler were right there the whole time. I don't mind a little kink but I'm not a freaking exhibitionist."

"But you two were like this." Sam held up a hand, his index and his middle finger twisted around each other, unable to hide his surprise. "Anytime you went for food or gas, she went with you and you guys always took longer than you should have." Sam had been sure Dean had simply been, for once, refraining from bragging about his sexual exploits. Just like Sam had never divulged to his brother that he had in fact slept with Quinn while Dean and Jenna had been missing.

"I don't sleep with every girl I meet, you know," Dean said, sounding defensive.

"You certainly try. Or at least you used to, back then."

Dean shrugged. "Jenna wasn't that type of girl, okay?"

Sam still didn't look convinced.

Dean glanced in his rear view mirror. "Seriously, Sam, look at the kid. See how dark he is? Jenna's fair. His father's gotta be Hispanic or Asian or something. I'm telling you, he ain't mine."

Another glance over his shoulder told Sam his brother had a valid point so he dropped the issue. He let his mind once more wander back to how Jenna had managed to avoid the Psychic-kids round-up that Yellow-Eyes had orchestrated at Cold Oaks.

And where the Hell were Quinn and Tyler?

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**Two months ago…**_

Cas felt a bone-deep weariness throughout his vessel as he sank to his knees after chopping the head off the third Leviathan in a row. He had never regained his full powers after an angel banishing spell had almost killed him and although this had made it harder for the Leviathan to find him, his weakened state certainly made it harder to fight them when they did.

Two months he had been alone. Two months since Dean and Nia and Benny had made it back home. Two months since God had decided Cas hadn't earned the right to go with his friends and had closed the gate on him, leaving him stranded in Purgatory all alone. He had thought about giving up countless times, of slowing his reactions down just enough that some Leviathan managed to get its lethal hand into his chest and rip out what remained of his Grace. Of letting any of the hundreds of other monsters he encountered get in a lucky strike with their blade. He could repair his vessel from almost any extent of damage but perhaps full decapitation would bring him a welcome oblivion.

Yet he still lived. He still fought. He still persevered. He still remembered and he still loved. He would never see Dean and Nia again, nor Benny or Sam, but his affection for them had not lessened. He found his thoughts drifting to them in times of solitude and found comfort in imagining them happy and at peace.

Perhaps the four of them were together, rebuilding Bobby's house and finding solace and comfort in each other's company.

Perhaps Dean had found a woman with which he could start a family. Cas had seen the desire for love and children deep within Dean the very day he had first met the hunter and although the sentiment had been clouded by fear and self-loathing at times, it had never wavered in its intensity.

Perhaps Sam had found an escape from hunting, an escape from the tainted being he always thought himself to be. Perhaps he had been able to refocus on school or on learning in some other capacity. The younger Winchester had always held a great thirst for knowledge and had always strived to carve a better path in life than he had been offered by the Fates. Cas had taken Sam's Hell memories from him, including all the thoughts, insecurities, and desires the young man had felt during his nearly two centuries of torture. It had given the angel new insight into the admirable man Sam was and increased respect for his strength and determination.

Perhaps Benny would find that peace and escape from violence he had often spoke of. Cas knew it was not likely since the blood lust that did not control vampire souls in Purgatory would most certainly have returned to torment him back home. Still, love of a woman had given the endearing vampire's humanity power over his vampire nature and Cas believed in Benny enough to trust he could hang on to that.

Perhaps Nia was happy. Perhaps she had readjusted to human life and was at peace, her years of torment and horror in Purgatory put behind her. Perhaps she would once again embrace the gentle, sweet, innocent part of her Cas knew was hiding deep inside and perhaps she would find happiness in simple, non-violent things like knitting or gardening.

An image flashed through his mind of Nia stabbing a Rugaru in the face with a knitting needle then ramming a garden hoe into the chest of a Selkie and he released a sigh of resignation. That last imagined piece of comfort was always the hardest to swallow. Cas was no fool. Nia had loved him with everything she had and he had returned the sentiment wholeheartedly. He had sworn to himself he would look out for her until the end of her days and had not been able to keep that oath. He knew Dean and Benny would do their best but Cas was never able to convince himself it would be enough. They did not have as strong a bond nor the deep understanding that Cas had of the strange, wild girl Nia was. He couldn't erase the constant nagging worry about her that ate at him day in and day out as he wandered the never-ending forests of Purgatory. This was no-doubt why he kept finding himself subconsciously returning to the valley where he had last seen them… where the gaping hole in the sky had swallowed them up.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**_A/N_: **_Okay, so that chapter set-up the characters, timeframe, and the story. Those of you who read Someone to Save You know a little more than the boys right now because of the reveal at the end but don't worry - we're just getting started :)_


	2. Filling in the Blanks

_**A/N**__: This chapter is designed to fill in some of the backstory for those who haven't read __Someone to Save You__ and give an idea of what happened six years ago. It also starts to reveal some of what Jenna, Tyler, and Quinn have been up to since. Those who remember the surprise at the end of that fic will be a little more enlightened than the brothers currently are but don't worry, it will all come out. _

**CHAPTER 2 – Filling in the Blanks**

It was midnight by the time the Impala pulled into the garage of the bunker that Dean had cleared out as part of his 'nesting' spree. He hadn't managed to get any of the vehicles running yet but there was plenty of room for his baby in the middle aisle. The two passengers in the back seat were both still fast asleep and Dean wordlessly carried Jenna down into the bunker, leaving Sam to gather up the little boy in his arms and follow. Dean went straight to his own room and laid her on his bed, straightening up with a frown as Sam placed Lucas next to her.

"Check this out," Dean whispered, lifting Jenna's left hand in the air. Her middle finger was completely missing, severed cleanly near the base. It looked like an older wound as the skin around it had healed over the end of the tiny stub.

"That's not all," Sam added, pointing to a jagged scar running the length of her lower arm and another peeking out of the neckline of her grey hoodie.

Dean placed her hand back down gently at her side and folded the blanket up over the sleeping pair. "What the Hell happened to you, Jen?" he breathed, staring down at her and Lucas for a few seconds before letting out a deep sigh and moving back towards the door. Sam fell in behind him, wondering exactly the same thing.

As they left the room, Dean flicked out the lights and grumbled something about finally getting his own room and still having to sleep on the couch.

**~X~X~X~X~**

He was still on that couch the next morning when he awoke to find a pair of thick-lashed, hazel eyes blinking at him from less than two feet away. He jolted and his hand was curled around the hilt of the knife beneath his pillow before he stilled himself with recognition.

"What are you doing kid?" he groused, sitting up. "Didn't your mom ever tell you it's not polite to stare?"

"She's sleeping."

Dean glanced over at the ornate Men of Letters timepiece on the wall and groaned. _Six o'clock in the frigging morning._ "Okay, okay." He wiped the sleep from his eyes and rolled his stiff shoulders. "I guess we'd better feed you then, huh?"

Sam chose that moment to shuffle out of his own room with disheveled hair and looking like he hadn't slept in a month. Dean's mouth tightened with worry but he kept his mother-hen comment to himself. "I'm gonna make breakfast. Watch the kid?"

Sam couldn't help the apprehensive look that flickered across his face at the assignment but he nodded. "Yeah, sure."

As Dean made his way into the bunker's kitchen, Sam looked down at the young boy who was staring back up at him expectantly. "Uhhh… you like to draw?"

He found some paper and a pencil and ushered the kid to sit in the chair next to his as he opened up his laptop. He wanted to check the news in Pawhuska for any potential backlash of what had gone down in the house yesterday.

Lucas was quiet as he scribbled with his pencil but after just a few minutes, he laid it down and slid quietly off the chair. Wrapped up in his web search, Sam didn't even notice the boy had gone until Dean came out of the kitchen and let out a startled cry.

"Whoa! Kid!" He hastily dropped the plates he had been carrying onto the large table and dashed over to pry the boy's fingers off the ancient Samurai sword he had pulled from the rack on the shelf unit.

"Dude, he's five. You gotta watch him!" he scolded Sam, who was sporting a slightly bewildered look.

"I was," Sam defended meekly. "He was drawing. I just looked away for a second."

"That's all it takes at that age," Dean admonished, as if it was just common knowledge.

Sam let out an exasperated huff. "I don't know anything about kids, Dean. I didn't raise me; _you_ did."

Dean tried to stop the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth at Sam's acknowledgement of Dean's contribution but couldn't. Instead he covered it by hoisting Lucas back onto the seat at the table. "Well, I had a year with Ben too remember?" he admitted. "And Lisa's sister had three kids." He pushed the boy's chair in and dragged a plate over, sliding the other one in front of Sam. "Hey Lucas, I made French toast. You hungry?"

Lucas nodded, eyeing the breakfast eagerly. He picked up his fork but while he shoveled the food into his mouth, he kept glancing over at Sam.

"He's not eating his bweakfast," the boy pointed out to Dean.

Dean's eyes narrowed and Sam obediently picked up his own fork, though his stomach turned at the mere thought of food. "Yes, Mom," he groaned sarcastically, giving the kid a sharp glare and resisting the urge to call him a narc.

Satisfied, Dean disappeared back into the kitchen and emerged with another plate for himself, this one piled with bacon and eggs and sausages on top of three slices of French toast. Sam couldn't help but chuckle at the look of sheer bliss on his brother's face as he dug in, moaning in delight around his food at every mouthful.

Lucas seemed to find Dean's eating habits extremely amusing because he giggled the entire duration of the meal. In fact, he seemed to find Dean in general quite fascinating for he watched intently as the hunter made his way around the bunker common area after breakfast, putting away weapons and moving anything with sharp edges or a trigger to much higher locations.

"See, ya gotta child-proof a house, Sam," Dean explained as he worked. "This place is awesome, but it's not exactly kid-friendly."

Sam wondered just how long Dean planned on letting Jenna and Lucas stay here but kept his musings to himself. He rather enjoyed the glimpse of domestic Dean that he had been witness to since moving into the bunker. It helped to soften the pity and grief he had felt for his brother when the elder Winchester had announced that hunters didn't get to have love or families and had so clearly chosen hunting, taking apple pie completely off the table for himself. Seeing Dean trudging around in a robe and cooking up a storm in their new kitchen and pulling out the picture of Mom that had graced his wallet for fifteen years to display it the bedroom he was so pleased to call his own had given Sam renewed hope for his brother. Maybe the part of Dean that was tired of the lonely hunting life and secretly craved a family hadn't been completely extinguished during his stint in Purgatory.

As Sam watched Dean try to teach the boy how to play poker, which quickly turned into a haphazard game of _Snap!_, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret the kid wasn't Dean's after all. He thought of the words his brother had spoken just a week ago during the first trial, about being a grunt and not seeing any future for himself, and his heart tightened. A kid might have been good for Dean, might give him some more purpose, some reason to hope…

He turned back to his laptop and sent Kevin an email asking for an update. He wanted to get these trials over with as soon as possible and get back to life without hunting. He had blown any chance of it ever working out with Amelia but he still wasn't willing to give up altogether on his dream of peace and happiness for both him and his brother. He had been chasing it his entire life and finally felt like he was working towards it. Closing the doors on Hell was a big enough contribution to mankind that he could feel like he had more than earned some peace and quiet. If they did this and survived, then someone else could pick up the gauntlet and the Winchesters could retire. Maybe become Men of Letters. Sam had to admit that since discovering the bunker, he felt more and more like this was what he was supposed to have been doing all along. He pulled out another dusty book from one of the shelves and started reading.

**~X~X~X~X~**

After two hours of cards, hide-and-seek, and playing pirates with swords made from foam pipe-covering, Dean dropped heavily into the chair next to Sam. "Dude," he panted, tapping the top of Sam's laptop. "Find some kid's show on there will ya? I need a break."

Lucas was peering at them from behind the couch, dark bangs hanging in his big eyes. Sam chuckled but quickly typed _'most popular tv shows for five year olds'_ in his search engine.

"Uncle Dean?" the boy asked shyly. "Can we watch Backyardigans?"

"Whoa, kid! It's just Dean, okay?" Dean exclaimed, eyes wide in alarm. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, huh?"

Sam laughed but quickly found an episode of the requested show on YouTube. He ushered Lucas onto the couch and propped the laptop up in front of him, grinning when his brother sank into the adjacent armchair with a tired groan.

"Hard work being Uncle Dean, huh?" Sam teased.

"Shut up."

Jenna didn't wake up until almost ten o'clock. Sam was in Dean's bedroom at the time, taking his turn to check on her. He gave her cheek a light tap, not really expecting a reaction but her eyes flew open and she bolted upright. He backed off right away and could see the panic in her eyes as she looked around the unfamiliar room. He realized in that instant they should have put her in his room, which didn't have freaking guns and knives hanging on the walls, but it was too late for that now.

"Jenna, hi," he started saying but she was already scrambling off the bed on the other side.

"Where's Lucas?" she asked, her voice urgent and her eyes looking wildly past the tall hunter towards the door behind him. "Lucas! Lucas!"

"He's fine, he's fine. He's with Dean. Jenna, it's me, Sam Winchester."

Her eyes widened even farther with recognition but her reaction was the opposite of what Sam had hoped for. She was on her feet now and she snatched one of Dean's large knives from the wall above the bed. "LUCAS!" she screamed even more frantically.

Suddenly Dean was in the doorway, hand splayed out at his thigh to keep the little boy behind him until he could make sure the situation was safe.

"He's right here," Dean told her. "He's fine, he's right here."

Lucas scooted past Dean's legs and ran to Jenna, who bent down to scoop him up. "Oh my God, Luke, you okay?" she gushed.

Lucas nodded and Jenna's panic seemed to subside a little.

"Jenna, it's me, Dean Winchester," Dean announced calmly, stepping inside the room. "Remember us? It's Dean and Sam."

She shook her head, lifting the knife towards them once more. "Sam and Dean are dead," she said. "Who are you really?"

"We're not dead," Dean assured her, keeping enough of a distance not to appear threatening. "You must have heard wrong."

"I saw you on the news, killing people in a diner with machine guns. What was that then?"

"Not us," Dean denied. "Long story, but definitely not us. Just ask Luke here. We've been hangin' out all morning. We rescued you from a house full of demons yesterday and brought you and the kid…"

"Where's Tyler?" she cut in, her voice panicked again. "Oh my God, where's Tyler? Please tell me he's not…"

"We didn't see him," Dean told her, a worried edge entering his own tone. "We didn't see him at the house. Was he staying there too?"

She nodded, frowning in an obvious attempt to remember through drug-induced fogginess. "He was out. He was out on a date." She lowered the knife. "Oh my God, what if he comes back and the demons are still there? How long's it been? I have to go back to the house. I need to go back for him!"

Sam raised his hands in a calming gesture before breaking the news to her. "That was last night. It's ten o'clock in the morning now and we're in Kansas."

"Don't worry," Dean added quickly in reaction to her horrified gasp. "You stay here with Luke and we'll go back and get Tyler, 'kay?"

"No, I should come. Tyler…"

"You should stay here with your son, where it's safe," Dean said firmly, thankful to hear Tyler was still around but suddenly worried about him all over again. It may have been six years, but Dean had always felt responsible for whatever fate had befallen the likeable teenager and after finally finding out he was still alive and just five hours away, he wasn't going to let the kid down now. "We'll go get Tyler. We'll bring him back, I promise."

They managed to calm her down enough to convince her they really were the Winchesters and that the rumors of their multiple demises were exaggerated. They could explain the complicated truth of the rumors later, when they had more time on their hands to delve into stories of Hell, angels, resurrections, Purgatory, and Leviathan. They would fill each other in on the past six years once Tyler was safe.

Dean packed a duffel quickly as Sam led Jenna out into the main room and gave her the basic layout of kitchen, bathroom, and living area, explaining the place was demon-proofed and showing her the numerous built-in wards as proof. They didn't have time for any more questions but Sam had to ask one as they headed for the door.

"Jenna, what about Quinn?"

Still holding Lucas in her arms, Jenna's eyes filled with a deep sadness. "She's gone. A long time ago."

**~X~X~X~X~**

They made it back to Pawhuska in less than four hours to find the van and the Tercel still parked outside the house. The Winchesters searched inside but the only people there were the six dead bodies in the back bedroom.

"TYLER!" Dean shouted. "Damnit, where is he?"

They heard the throbbing of an engine outside and the brothers immediately moved to opposite sides of the living room window, each leaning forward to peer out like gargoyles framing a Romanesque doorway. They saw a motorcycle pull up out front and a thin man in a leather jacket get off. He gave the Impala and then the van a suspicious look, even peering in the van's front window. He stiffened and reached for something at the small of his back before removing his helmet and making his way warily up the walk.

Dean let out a sigh of relief when he got a good look at the young man's face and recognized him as Tyler. He wasn't a teenager anymore – six years would put him at twenty-three – but he still had the same dirty blond cropped hair, lanky build, and abundance of freckles. Dean was surprised at how concerned he had been for the kid after all these years. Not knowing what had happened to him or Jenna had eaten at the hunter. He had always felt like he was responsible for them and had somehow failed them.

"That's him," he said to Sam before moving over to yank the front door open. "Hey kid," he grinned in greeting.

Tyler whipped a gun around to point at Dean, alarm showing on his face.

"Whoa, it's me, Dean. Dean Winchester." Dean raised his hands. "Remember?"

"Dean's dead," Tyler fired back. "Who are you? Where's Jenna?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Here we go again," he mumbled. "Jenna's fine, dude. She and Lucas are back at our place in Kansas. They're safe."

Just like with Jenna, it took a bit of convincing to make Tyler drop the gun. It took drinking holy water and cutting themselves with silver to get him to come inside with them. He insisted on shaking hands with each of them and Dean raised an eyebrow at the obvious request for physical contact.

"You still got your Jedi mind-reading mojo?" Had Tyler's psychic shit not disappeared like Sam's had when Lucifer had been tossed back in the cage?

"Not really. I can't read minds anymore but I can still get a feel of emotions. I can tell if you're human and usually if you're lying."

"You're an empath," Sam stated, also curious why Tyler had retained some of his Yellow-Eyed-demon powers all this time. His had disappeared completely, at least as far as he was aware.

"Sort of," Tyler shrugged as he made his way down the hallway to check out the scene in the back room. His face blanched at the sight of the dead bodies littering the floor and he was suddenly more than eager to follow the brothers back to the bunker. Dean was touched by his obvious concern for Jenna and it comforted him to know the pair had stuck together all these years.

The Winchesters had just closed the doors of the Impala when a dark sedan with three men in it pulled up sharply and stopped behind them. Two of the men hopped out and immediately rushed at Tyler, who was still swinging his leg over the motorcycle and digging his keys out of his pocket. He didn't have time to start it up before the men, both with coal black eyes, were attempting to drag him off. He put up an admirable fight but was hindered by his position straddling the bike and was hauled off it roughly. Tyler got a few good punches in but the far-stronger demons had a good hold on him and started dragging him towards their waiting car. They were stopped by Sam sinking Ruby's knife into the gut of the closest one.

The second demon snarled at Sam, his lip curling in anger. "Winchesters!" he spat, glancing over to see Dean advancing also with his Colt 1911 held tight. He started backing up but Sam followed, slicing Ruby's knife at the retreating demon, determined to take him out and not let him escape to come after Tyler again later.

The third demon was still behind the wheel of the sedan and he suddenly spun the car's tires as he roared forward towards Tyler. The young man had barely made it back on the bike and didn't have time to start it up to get out of the way so he simply jumped clear, barely avoiding being tangled up in the crunch of metal as the car steamrolled over the bike.

"Son of a bitch!" Tyler shouted as he picked himself up off the ground and drew his gun from where it was tucked in the waist of his pants. He started shooting at the demon in the driver's seat, turning the glass of the front window into a maze of spiderweb cracks, each centered around a small, neat hole.

Sam finally sank Ruby's dagger into the heart of the demon he was fighting and looked up to search out his brother. "Dean!" he called, tossing him Ruby's knife. Dean caught it smoothly and stepped forward to jab it right into the chest of the angry demon driving the car.

Tyler came to stand next to him just as the orange lights stopped flashing and the demon slumped forward onto the steering wheel, dead.

"How'd you do that so easy?" Tyler demanded, looking slightly awed as he took in the three dead demons in the vicinity.

Dean held up Ruby's blood-covered knife with a smirk. "Demon-ganking knife. Kills 'em for real."

"Awesome!" Tyler's face broke out in a toothy grin much like the one Dean remembered from so long ago and the older hunter couldn't help but smile along with him. He slapped the young man on the shoulder and gestured towards his ruined motorcycle. "Looks like you're riding with us, kiddo. C'mon, get in."

The Impala had barely made it out of the subdivision before the Winchesters started drilling Tyler with questions, trying to find out where he and Jenna had been the past six years and why they hadn't kept in touch.

"_Crowley_ had you?" Dean repeated in shock when Tyler told them. "For four whole years? Why?"

Tyler reversed to the beginning of their story, back when he and Jenna had first met the Winchesters. He explained that Crowley had been the mastermind behind the demons who had tried to kidnap Sam but ended up getting Dean along with Tyler, Jenna, and some other psychic kids. It had been Crowley's intention to sabotage Azazel's plan of using them to bring Lilith and eventually Lucifer topside. Crowley had plans to become King of Hell and Lucifer being freed from the cage would have put a serious kink in those plans. Azazel had come down on Crowley's rebel demons pretty hard when they had targeted his pick of the litter – _Sam Winchester_ - and after that, Crowley had stuck to kidnapping only the lower-profile of Azazel's psychic kids, like Jenna and Tyler.

"Makes sense," Dean nodded, remembering how it had been Crowley who had given them the Colt and asked them to kill Lucifer with it. The ambitious demon had been no fan of the Morning Star.

Tyler's voice grew quiet. "They used Jen to bring a lot of demons topside."

Jenna's psychic power had been different from Sam's. She had discovered she was able to reach into Hell and pull demons out by drawing them into her own body and expelling them in a black cloud of smoke. The demons that had captured her and Dean had tried to force her to pull out demons loyal to their cause. Dean remembered back then they had referred to her as 'the recruiter'. The missing finger and the scars suddenly made a lot more sense. Crowley was a bastard.

"She definitely had the worst of it," Tyler continued. "They'd hurt her and when that stopped working, they'd hurt me or Quinn – mostly Quinn. Then after Lucas was born, they had Jenna against the ropes. I mean, she couldn't exactly refuse them."

"How'd they find you in the first place?" Dean demanded, imagining all sorts of new ways to end the smug, sadistic King of Hell. "Quinn was a good hunter. She knew how to lay low and you and Jenna had hex bags."

Tyler shrugged. "You remember we called you from Austin?"

"Yeah, that was the last time we heard from you."

"Crowley apparently had some kind of bug on you guys coz he figured out where we were from that call and three hours later, his demons were all over us."

Dean's heart tightened at the revelation. _Crap!_ It had been his fault! Crowley had admitted planting the supernatural 'bug' in the Impala when they had been working with him to find Death and collect the rings of the Four Horsemen. Dean just hadn't realized how _long_ Crowley had been monitoring them.

Sam could see where Dean's mind was going and he quickly changed the subject. "So when did you escape?" he asked Tyler.

"'Bout two years ago. Good thing too because Crowley had ordered us brought to wherever he was so he could use us as incentive against… well against you guys. Apparently you were up to something he didn't like and wouldn't back down. He also wanted me to try and read the mind of some angel he was working with that he figured was gonna double-cross him."

"You could read the mind of an angel?" Sam interrupted.

"Don't know. Never got the chance. We got lucky and managed to escape during the move."

Dean was frowning. "Two years ago?"

Tyler nodded.

"That's when Crowley grabbed Lisa and Ben," Dean said quietly, thinking out loud. "They must have been his back-up plan. We wouldn't play ball with him and Cas and their freaking Purgatory quest and he needed leverage."

"Wait," Sam said suddenly, his eyebrows practically knitting together, "if demons picked you up a month after we last saw you, then Jenna had her baby while being held by Crowley?"

Tyler didn't answer right away.

"Who's the dad?" Dean blurted, unable to contain his curiosity. Jenna had been the relationship type, he'd figured that out first hand and for that reason, had held back six years ago, not wanting to start something he may not have been able to stick around for. So for her to get knocked up so quickly after _not_ sleeping with him… He wasn't offended, exactly, just… curious. Yeah, curious.

Tyler hesitated again. "Um… she didn't say?"

"Aw crap, tell me it's not a demon." Dean shuddered as the thought occurred to him, his fingers curling around his baby's steering wheel at the thought of a demon forcing itself on Jenna. Anger then turned to worry when he realized that could also mean they had another Jessie on their hands - another 'Antichrist'.

"Luke's dad's not a demon," Tyler said slowly. "He's human, a… regular guy."

"It's not _you_, is it?" Dean raised an eyebrow at the young man in the rear view mirror.

Tyler laughed. "Dude, I was like, seventeen at the time. And a virgin. And Jen's like my big sister, man, that's just gross. So anyway, change of subject, we thought you guys were dead. We tried to find you when we got free but FBI thinks you both died in a helicopter explosion. Jenna still avoids hunters but we eventually risked tracking down a few and they all said you both just disappeared. The hunting world seems to think you're dead."

"Temporarily out of commission," Dean clarified. "Not dead." He didn't elaborate that he had actually been stranded in Purgatory and Sam had been hiding out in Suburbia.

"We knew those things shooting up public places all across the country weren't you," Tyler continued. "I'm guessing shapeshifters, huh?"

"Not shifters; Leviathan," Sam corrected.

"What are Leviathans?"

"They're taken care of is what they are," Dean dismissed.

"Tyler, what happened to Quinn?" Sam blurted, not wanting to hear how she had died but needing to know anyway.

Tyler's face drew a pained expression. "She died. Crowley's a sick bastard and he didn't treat her very well and she had some, uh, health issues and she… Me and Jen weren't there when… She was alone. I'm sorry," he said to Sam. "I know you cared about her too."

Sam swallowed, his heart tightening in his chest at the thought of the wild, hard-ass hunter with the gentle, loving side that she tried so hard to keep hidden. He pictured her breathing her last breath alone, in a pool of blood on the floor of one of Crowley's dirty, empty factories and felt anger at the injustice of it all. "Yeah, she was something special," he said softly.

"So how'd the Bow of Bargaest end up at your house?" It was Dean's turn now to change the subject.

"Jenna figured out where it was a week ago and we stole it."

"Why didn't you have it cloaked in a lockbox?"

"Lockbox? What for? Can they trace it? Crap, is that how they found us?"

Sam nodded, thankful yet again they had the resources of the Men of Letters at their disposal. "Probably," he confirmed. "Don't worry, we hid it in one. They won't find it again."

"Did you kill the demon who owned it?" Dean asked. He hoped not because Sam couldn't exactly kill Tyler to take possession of it for the second trial.

"Nah, not me. The bow's bound to Jen."

"Oh crap," Sam groaned, realizing that meant he would be bare-knuckling it at the next trial.

"It's our best chance at ending this," explained Tyler.

"Ending what?" Dean asked.

"Ending Crowley. Killing him once and for all so we can stop running."

Sam frowned. "Why is Crowley still after you? He's the King of Hell now; surely he doesn't need Jenna to raise demons from Hell for him anymore."

Tyler shrugged. "He was looking for us pretty hard for a while after we escaped but then he seemed to have backed off. Then like three months ago, he started right back up trying to find us again because demons started coming out of the woodwork and we've been running again ever since." He sighed. "It gets hard on Luke, all the fighting and the moving. We just want to keep him away from it all. Please tell me he didn't see that mess in the bedroom."

Both brothers winced.

"We're not sure what he saw before we got there," Sam admitted.

Dean gave Sam a worried look. "You think Crowley's trying to find them to use against us again? To bargain for the other half of the Demon Tablet? It's definitely his M.O. to threaten people we care about to get us to do what he wants. And that would explain the timing, why he's after them again all of a sudden."

Sam shrugged. "Normally I would say there were easier targets but pretty much everyone we were close to is dead now so… seems plausible." He frowned. The Winchesters hadn't seen Jenna and Tyler in six years and had only known them for a week before that. Why would Crowley think they would be such a valuable bargaining chip? There were plenty of other people the Winchesters knew just as much that they would be willing to go to bat for. People much easier to find and kidnap. It seemed to Sam like there must be something more to this, something Tyler and Jenna weren't telling them.

During the five-hour drive, the brothers took their turn in answering a lot of Tyler's questions as well. The younger man was surprisingly well-informed on the whole Lucifer-Apocalypse thing. Apparently Crowley's demon prison-guards had been quite chatty during the four years they had been held captive. As they already knew, Sam and Dean had been 'Plan A' in chosen vessels for Michael and Lucifer's big showdown, but it turned out there had been a 'Plan B' and a 'Plan C' and a 'Plan D' etc… Jenna and Quinn had been around 'Plan F', or maybe 'G'. Jenna was a suitable vessel for Lucifer and Quinn was a suitable vessel for Michael. Although it was all a moot point now, Sam found the revelation quite fascinating. God certainly covered all His bases when He planned out His destiny crap.

Jenna was all over Tyler the minute they stepped inside the bunker, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. The tall young man gave Dean a sheepish eye-roll over her shoulder but returned the hug with just as much affection. Lucas laughed out loud when Tyler picked him up and gave him an exaggerated bear hug, complete with friendly growl. "Hey Bullet! How's my little monster?"

Watching them together, Dean realized Tyler had grown up a lot since he last saw him. He was a man now, not a kid as Dean had always thought of him. He was hardened, protective of Jenna and Lucas who he clearly saw as his family, and the innocence he had worn on his sleeve six years ago was gone, wiped away by years of abuse, violence, and imprisonment.

The lost innocence part, at least, was confirmed by Jenna when she found out he had just been returning to the house at two o'clock in the afternoon and teased him relentlessly that his date with Amanda must have gone really well until a blushing Tyler finally admitted just how well it had gone.

Jenna offered to make supper and Sam joined her in the kitchen while Dean gave Tyler a tour of the bunker, Lucas clinging to the younger man's leg as they went room to room. Sam was relegated to onion-dicing duty, unable to hide his shock that Dean had actually bought fresh onions. He joined Jenna in a laugh at the excited exclamations they could hear from Tyler.

"You've got your own freaking shooting range! ... These computers are like out of a 1960's space movie! Do they actually work? ... This map table is sweet... Hey, do those old motorcycles run?"

"They're like a couple of twelve year olds in a new clubhouse," Jenna laughed, shaking her head.

"Tell me about it," Sam agreed as he proceeded to cry over his onion-dicing. "We've been here two weeks and Dean's still finding new stuff to play with."

"It _is_ a pretty sweet pad," she acknowledged before her face turned serious and she tilted her head at Sam. "Sam, I'm really glad you guys are alive after all," she said sincerely. "_Really_ glad."

"I'm glad you and Tyler made it too," Sam agreed, his mind immediately reminding him that Quinn had not. "We wondered about you guys over the years. A lot."

They talked while they worked, filling in a few more of the gaps in the past six years for each other. It was obvious very quickly that Jenna wasn't willing to speak of her four years spent with Crowley so Sam didn't press. He and Dean both had stints in Hell or Purgatory that they would rather not dwell on so he could definitely understand her reluctance.

Tyler grabbed a cushion to use as a booster seat for Lucas and they all sat down at the worktop-slash-dining table to eat their supper. Jenna apologized for the makeshift meal, admitting Tyler did most of the real cooking and that she usually stuck to microwave pizza and chicken fingers. Sam and Dean both quickly assured her tacos were more than adequate and dug in hungrily.

As they ate, Dean looked around at the five people sitting at his table in what he was starting to think of as his home, chatting and laughing with one another.

He hadn't realized how much losing Jenna, Tyler, and Quinn had bothered him – there had been a hard lump lodged deep down in the pit of his stomach for six years and seeing at least two out of the three alive and laughing… it felt uplifting. And they were freaking parents! Tyler may not be the kid's biological parent but it was evident he was playing the father role in every other sense of the word.

And the kid … Dean would never be caught saying this out loud but the kid was the cutest frigging little guy he'd ever seen. Quiet and well-mannered but with an intelligent, even mischievous, twinkle in his hazel eyes. Always watching. Dark hair, dark lashes, and dimples. He reminded Dean of Sam when he'd been about that age. After all the loss Dean had faced last year – Cas, Bobby, round two with Emma in Purgatory, then losing all over Cas again – it felt so damn good to get someone back for once.

He was struck with a sudden flash of something he couldn't quite identify. Comfort? Longing? Yearning? Crap, was that deep-seeded desire for a family he had always fought against rearing its ugly head again? He had thought that was gone for good.

He had been feeling so disconnected and isolated since Purgatory. From everything – from Sam, from strangers, from Kevin and Mrs. Tran, from his life in general. He missed Benny and Nia and most of all Cas, often feeling like they were the only ones who could understand him. He'd thrown himself full throttle into this trial business, perfectly content with going out in a heroic blaze of glory, but Sam had stolen that destiny from him. He hunted, feeling en extra savagery at the moment of every kill that hadn't existed before, but even that didn't seem to help. So he'd been floundering, going through the motions and keeping up appearances for Sam's sake but… he still felt so lost. Like part of him had never made it out of Purgatory. Just like part of him had never made it out of Hell. He didn't feel whole and knew at any moment, someone was going to look at him and realize he was a freak who couldn't fit in anywhere, a killer that didn't belong here among the nice people.

Then they had found this place, the Men of Letters headquarters. A connection to his father and a new, non-douche grandfather after the disappointment the last one had turned out to be. Suddenly he and Sam had a new destiny and new options and he was pretty sure Sam had popped a full-on chubby at the discovery of the twenty or so rooms full of books and archived supernatural information. It was like total geekporn. Dean had cooked and shopped for groceries and walked around barefoot without worrying about critters or semen-stains in the carpet. And for the first time since Purgatory, he had felt something inside him relax. Some tiny piece of twine reconnecting to the world around him. He had only felt it here in the bunker so far but that had to be a start, right?

After six years, Jenna and Tyler were practically strangers but sitting around the table like this felt almost like a real family meal. Like the times Lisa's sister and her kids had visited and they had all enjoyed barbecued hot dogs and steaks around the picnic table in the yard. Or like the occasions John Winchester had stuck around when dropping his sons off at Bobby's and indulged in the mechanic's version of a home-cooked meal, the four of them sitting around Bobby's kitchen table laughing and telling stories while Sam slipped Rumsfeld scraps under the table. Or like the countless nights Dean had spent choking down Hakredin meat and Purgapples, two of Purgatory's most readily available foods, huddled alongside Cas, Benny and Nia with relentless teasing banter (usually aimed at Cas) easing the tension after another long, hard, day of fighting for survival. All fond memories of family for Dean, if somewhat tainted by the painful way each situation had ended.

Dean watched as his brother laughed heartily at something Tyler said and Jenna flashed them a smile as she tugged a piece of salsa out of a giggling Lucas's hair. He surprisingly found himself thinking he could get used to this.

_Crap, having his own room was making him soft. _

Not long after supper, Lucas was yawning and rubbing his eyes relentlessly so Jenna took him to bed, declining Tyler's offer to read him his bedtime story tonight. Dean had offered up his room again and she came back out with a tired smile just ten minutes later, taking a seat on the couch next to Dean.

"Listen, you two," she said, her face turning serious as she addressed Sam and Dean. "I didn't get a chance to say this earlier but I have to clear the air. I know both of you were in Hell at some point and just want to say I'm sorry that I didn't know. I found out later. If I had known, I would have… you know, come to see you. Please don't think I would have left you in there alone."

It occurred to Dean that she had still been with Crowley when both he and Sam had been in Hell. She had still been using the psychic powers Azazel's drop of blood had given her to pull demons from Hell. He also remembered that since she could visit Hell in her mind and search for the demons she was to pull out, she could also search out tortured souls. She had spoken to his father six years ago while he had been in Hell. Crowley's minions had sent her in to pull John Winchester off the rack so he couldn't become the Righteous Man and break the first seal as originally intended. She hadn't been able to pull him out of Hell because he wasn't a demon so she couldn't take him inside her, but she did manage to free him from Alistair's rack. It was that move that had allowed him to be at the Devil's Gate when Jake had opened it and escape to save Dean's ass one last time before hopefully heading to heaven.

"There's no way you could have known we were in there," he assured her, surprised she would even think it would occur to them to blame her. "Besides, I wouldn't have wanted you to take any extra trips down there, even on my account." Dean remembered how much she had hated and feared her psychic powers, reluctant to use them for any purpose. He remembered wishing Sam had held the same opinion of his own budding mojo - _how right he had turned out to be on that one._

"Tyler mentioned the Bow is tied to you," Sam said, able to speak freely now that Lucas had gone to bed. "You killed the demon who owned it?"

Jenna simply shrugged. "I need it."

"To kill Crowley," Dean supplied.

She nodded again, though her eyes were still fixed on Sam. "I have to kill him. I'm running out of time."

"Out of time? For what?" Sam asked.

"We can't keep going like this," Tyler cut in, giving Jenna a concerned look that struck Sam as having more meaning than the pair was letting on. "This running and fighting has to stop and soon or it's going to be too late."

"For Lucas," Jenna added quickly, shooting Tyler an equally cryptic look before turning back to Sam. "Too late for Lucas. See, school starts in eight months. I need to have Crowley dead by then and have a home for Lucas by then; a permanent, stable safe home. He's gonna go to school like a normal kid and play on the monkey bars and not have to worry about Crowley catching up with him. He's gonna join little league or soccer or the math club, maybe even all three if that's what he wants. He's gonna have a girlfriend and a prom and he's not gonna have any memories of demons and people he loves being hurt right in front of him. He's going to be normal. There's no way he's missing out on that. So you see, I need to get that for him by the time he starts school in September and before he gets too old to be able to bury the childhood memories of being used like a pawn by the fucking King of Hell. "

Her tirade was delivered with such passionate conviction that there was a long silence after she finished. Dean finally nodded in complete understanding.

"I get it. Don't worry, Jen, he's safe here with us. But you don't have to go up against Crowley with nothing but a Hunger Games prop because we're gonna shut the gates of Hell and seal his sorry ass up in there for good."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, touched by her determination and her motivation. "You two just lay low and stay out of it. We're working on something that will end Crowley once and for all."

"What?" Jenna demanded.

"We got our hands on a tablet written by God," Dean explained. "Well, half of it anyway but it seems to be the good half. It's written instructions on how to close off Hell, permanently."

Jen shook her head. "That's great," she said, sounding unconvinced. "You keep working on that but I'm not letting this go until Crowley's dead. And now that I have the weapon to do it, I'm definitely not backing off. That asshole's going down."

"Yeah he is," Dean agreed without pause. He explained further the trials and the tablet in an effort to convince her that this was the real thing, that no more demons - _ever - _ was a real possibility, and that going after Crowley herself was dangerous and unnecessary.

"Wait, so you need the bow to complete this next trial?" Tyler interrupted.

Dean shook his head. "We'll figure a way around that. You guys just stay here until we get it done, 'kay?"

Sam raised a curious eyebrow at that statement. The tablet could take months to decipher, the trials even longer to complete. Again he wondered how long Dean was planning on having their guests stay in the bunker.

Jenna clearly wasn't on board yet. "You don't understand," she said, shaking her head. "Luke grew up in a prison, never getting outside. No offense, Dean, you have an awesome place here, but I didn't trade in that prison for this one. I want him to be able to go to school and go to the park and play with other kids. That can't happen until Crowley's dead. The bow answers to me. Shit, I don't want to give up my only weapon against him. What happens if you can't use it?"

"Like I said, we'll figure a way around that," Dean repeated. "We'll get these trials done, Jen."

Sam cut in. "All we're asking is for you to give us a chance to do our thing first, okay? I mean, Lucas needs you alive as much as he needs Crowley dead."

"This place is pretty big," Dean continued, still trying to convince their guests to leave Crowley to the Winchesters. "We can clear out a couple of bedrooms for you if you're worried about your personal space."

Tyler laughed at that. "We spent over three years together living a single room in Crowley's basement. Personal space isn't a problem for us, right Jen?" He aimed a toothy grin at his friend who smiled fondly back at him.

"It is when you eat burritos, smart ass."

At the mention of personal space, Dean was about to joke that they would get along great with Cas but bit back the words before they slipped out. Cas hadn't made it out of Purgatory and Dean's last glimpse of his friend had been when the angel had collapsed after holding a Souleater at bay so Dean and Nia could get out the door and back home. His thoughts turned dark and his heart grew heavy every time he thought of the angel being alone and hunted by the relentless evil of that God forsaken place and tonight was no exception. He had badly wanted to be the one to do the Demon Tablet trials - that had been his chance to earn the sacrifice Cas has made for him - but Sam had stolen that opportunity by killing the Hell Hound himself.

Dean's worry quickly drifted to Sam and how tired and weary he was looking after finishing the first trial and reciting that spell and what the next two trials would entail. The weight that had been briefly lifted from his shoulders with the relief of finding out Jenna and Tyler were still alive returned, especially when Jenna looked at him and nodded.

"Okay. I'll let you guys have first crack at Crowley. But if you fuck it up or these trials don't work, I'm taking that bow and going after him myself."

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**A/N:**__ Yes, I actually used the phrase 'popped a chubby', haha. So sorry - I couldn't help it. If you have read any of my previous stories, you should already know that I occasionally have the maturity of a twelve year old, lol. But in my defense, so does Dean ;) _

**~X~X~X~X~**


	3. UnSettling In

**CHAPTER 3 – UnSettling In**

By the time Sam got up the next morning, his brother and Tyler were hauling boxes out of a downstairs storage room two doors down the hall from Dean's to turn it into a bedroom. Sam wasn't sure if his big brother's haste was motivated by a desire to keep their houseguests from leaving or to reclaim his own room, but he kept his musings to himself. Either way, it was nice to see Dean laughing and interacting with people.

Since Purgatory, Dean seemed to be on edge. He was still Dean, most of the time, but then sometimes… He was barely able to keep his cool when they were hustling pool for money, more often than not throwing a punch at the mark they were trying to goad before the guy had put his money down. He was always pumped up for a fight, primed and ready to gank whatever monster they were facing. He had been jumpy and tense and sometimes downright cold – Sam remembered vividly how willing Dean had been to stab Mrs. Tran in front of her own son in order to take down Crowley. He'd ruled out any kind of life for himself outside hunting without showing any remorse for the sacrifice. There had even been a couple of instances where he had zoned out while Sam was talking to him, rejoining the conversation a few seconds later as if nothing had happened. Whatever was going on in that head of his, Dean wasn't sharing – at least not with Sam.

Of course, Sam was a smart man. He had done his research and knew his brother was demonstrating classic indications of PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He had recognized some of the signs from Dean's time after Hell, thankfully minus the excessive drinking this time, and had recognized others from his own past experiences. Dean was probably feeling isolated and out of place back here… and his perceived betrayal by Sam for not looking for him had definitely not helped. But his apparent eagerness to welcome Jenna, Tyler, and Lucas into the bunker was either a sign that he was getting over Purgatory and willing to rejoin the world or a sign his guilt over their predicament was in overdrive. Sam was hoping for the former. More than anything, he wanted his brother to find some peace.

He also knew that much of the current tension between the two of them stemmed from Dean's hurt that Sam hadn't searched for him, a mistake for which Sam would never forgive himself. He had honestly thought Dean was dead and in Heaven and even though he had wandered around empty and broken, Sam had accepted his loss and somehow, with the help of Amelia, had managed to move on. Finding out Dean had been alive and suffering all that time had been both a miracle and a proverbial knife in the chest. It meant he had failed Dean. His brother had never once let him down and Sam had failed him on such a colossal level yet again.

Well, he wasn't going to fail him again. He was going to complete these trials and they were both going to live.

He was pulled from his somber thoughts when Tyler opened a box to find a stash of tobacco pipes and proceeded to do a terrible Sherlock Holmes impersonation. Sam didn't bother informing the young man that Watson was the more frequent pipe smoker and just laughed as he started hauling boxes with them. Jenna soon joined the effort and two rooms were completely cleared by noon.

Dean went out to pick up a couple of mattresses, leaving Sam and Jenna to scrub the decades of dust and dirt from the walls and floors while Tyler made lunch. The normally quiet Lucas danced around the bucket of soap water and within minutes, managed to get himself completely wet and dripping with suds. Sam had never been one to make much of an impression on kids but Jenna kept coaxing the boy to rinse Sam's cloth and bring Sam fresh rags, almost as if she was forcing interaction between them. Lucas was hesitant at first but after multiple assurances from Jenna, he turned playful and Sam soon found himself being chased around the room with a wet cloth amid loud giggles and squeals.

Sam had to admit, the kid was adorable and he ended up thoroughly enjoying himself. It felt good to hear a child's playful laughter when recent days had been so full of angst and violence.

As they finished mopping up the excess water that Lucas's attempts to 'help' had left pooling on the tiled floor, Tyler called them through for lunch. Jenna hadn't been wrong about the young man's cooking skills and Sam found himself thinking that between Tyler's expertise and Dean's surprising culinary prowess, meals around here were going to kick ass for the next little while.

When Dean returned with two box springs and mattresses courtesy of the fictional Mr. Herman Hinkletter and his newly acquired Visa, Jenna was gone. Tyler explained that she had gone to town to pick up 'chick stuff' but her abrupt disappearance struck both Winchesters as odd.

"How did she plan on getting to town?" Sam asked.

Tyler waved a dismissive hand. "She hitches all the time. She'll be fine."

"Why didn't she just ask me to drive her?" Dean demanded.

"We've put you guys out enough," Tyler shrugged. "Seriously, you don't know how much we appreciate what you're doing for us. Jenna doesn't want to impose more than we already have."

Dean shook his head and walked away with a mumbled 'women' but Sam couldn't erase this nagging feeling that Jenna and Tyler weren't being entirely forthcoming. Tyler was clearly covering for Jenna and the observant hunter had noticed more than one secretive, communicative look pass between the two. He began to really worry when Jenna hadn't made it back by suppertime but Tyler still dismissed it lightly.

"She can handle herself. She'll be back soon."

'Soon' turned out to be almost ten-thirty at night. Jenna did return with a knapsack of clothes and products from the drug store as well as new cell phones for both her and Tyler so neither Winchester pressed the issue. She said she had stolen a motorcycle to get back with and Tyler's eyes lit up at the news.

"Oh? What d'ya get?"

"It's a CB750, I think," she answered, tossing him a key.

Tyler barely disguised his look of disgust as he headed outside to examine it for himself. "A Honda?" he groaned. "Better not be a chick color."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "If he had his way, we'd have a frigging 1700 or something. Little jerk forgets I have to use it too and my feet have to touch the ground."

"This means I get to steal the car this time round," Tyler called down to them from the balcony above. "No more crappy Toyotas."

Dean chuckled at the exchange. "You two sound like brother and sister, you know that, right?"

Jenna smiled fondly, her eyes flitting upwards towards the door where Tyler had disappeared. "We are," she said quietly. "In every way that counts."

They played cards and drank beer until after midnight before heading to their separate rooms. Sam narrowed his eyes but pretended not to notice the whispered conversation between Jenna and Tyler in the hallway before Tyler took the room where Lucas was sleeping, not Jenna. Once again he got the suspicious feeling their houseguests weren't telling the brothers everything. Something was going on here.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Sam forced himself back to research mode the following day, determined to find out anything he could that might give him a leg up in the next trial. Unfortunately, without knowing what that was, he had very little to go on and literally, no place to start. So he continued the monumental task of digging his way through the Men of Letters archives, looking for anything demon-related.

To Sam's amusement, Dean seemed content to hang around the bunker entertaining their guests. He and Tyler had discovered a racquetball set in an old box and converted the shooting gallery into a temporary racquetball court. He had also hung an old tire from the interior balcony railing and Lucas sat in it for hours, spinning so much Sam was getting dizzy just watching him. And most surprisingly, Dean went for a two-hour walk in the fields outside with Jenna after lunch, which earned him a teasing raised eyebrow from his little brother since Dean didn't do 'walks'.

It struck Sam as strange that Jenna had not taken her son outside with her and had instead asked Sam to watch him while they were out. That and the boy had called her 'Jenna' on more than one occasion. Jenna had laughed it off saying "He's five; they go through phases," but Sam's curiosity and suspicion kept gnawing at him.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Dean had the best day he could remember in months. Not only had he found and helped Tyler and Jenna and her kid, but he had been able to offer them safe sanctuary because _he had a freaking home. _

Many of his past hunting failures haunted him, people he had been unable to save, but Tyler and Jenna had been two of the most prominent, right up there with Ellen and Jo. They had been through Hell, not literally but close enough, yet here they were, alive and healthy and in surprisingly good spirits. He wasn't going to let anything happen to them again. He certainly wasn't going to let them go off on their own again. He was going to keep them close and safe until Crowley was well and truly ganked.

Of course, it didn't hurt that Jenna still looked good. He'd tried not to notice because he wasn't in any position for a relationship and if he remembered correctly, she was the relationship type, but _come on_, he'd have to be dead not to notice she was attractive. Despite the scars and despite the missing finger and despite the kid… no, the kid actually made her _more_ attractive.

_Wow, did he just think that?_

It was that thought that blurted a 'yes' out of him when she invited him to go on a walk outside to explore the area and get some fresh air, something he normally scoffed at Sam for suggesting. The area surrounding the bunker was uninhabited, the old pumphouse building above being the only structure around for miles. Grassy fields and clusters of trees covered the picturesque, peaceful area and Dean couldn't help but point out it made a pretty awesome back yard for a kid.

Jenna chuckled. "Is that your way of saying we can stick around for a while?"

"I thought the new beds and bedrooms would've made that obvious," he snorted.

They walked and talked and Dean found it refreshingly pleasant and relaxing. He had spent time with plenty of women in his life but not many who knew who he was and what he did. Those that had were either hardened hunters who, like him, kept their guard up, or civilian women who accepted that monsters were real but wanted nothing to do with them, wanted him to pretend he wasn't a hunter. Lisa had lived 'normal' – she had known about his hunting life but had never really understood it, having only experienced a short brush with the supernatural world. Jenna's life was completely immersed in it and Dean couldn't help but admire her for still managing to raise a child who was smart and sweet and not yet ruined by its ugliness. He admired her determination to get her son out of that violent world before it took an irreversible toll on him. Dean had always been able to relate to the fierce protectiveness of a parent, having taken on the responsibility for Sam at such a young age.

Jenna had been both sweet and brave when he had first met her what seemed like a lifetime ago. Like Sam, she had been struggling with self-doubt and fear of her strengthening psychic powers and the evil for which they were intended, yet she had responded to Dean's non-judgmental support and the pair had definitely bonded. That sweetness and caring nature he remembered were still there, if shadowed slightly by a hardness and determination the trauma of the past six years had dealt her, and Dean found himself opening up to it surprisingly quickly. He found the affection for the girl he had known blossoming again for the woman she had become and by the time they returned to the bunker, he realized he was going to have to rein it in or this was going to get complicated fast.

Reining it in had sounded far easier walking with her in the sun than late that night when he answered a soft knock on his bedroom door to find her standing in a robe and smiling up at him.

"Jen," he stammered. _Wow,_ _he really was getting old if that was the best he could do._ "Can't sleep?"

She shook her head and gave him a lopsided smirk. "The new bed's great and all but yours was more comfortable."

"Mine's memory foam," he explained with a grin, standing aside to let her come in. "It remembers me."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Think it remembers me too?" She let the robe drop to her feet and Dean wasn't certain but he was pretty sure his mouth fell open when he found her standing naked in front of him.

He recovered quickly. "I have a feeling it's gonna." He stepped forward quickly and pulled her into a deep kiss, making his move before his brain had a chance to talk him out of it.

"You're a lot more forward than you used to be," he managed between heavy breaths when they finally pulled apart for air.

She laughed and let her hands glide up and down his back beneath his t-shirt. "If there's one thing I learned since last time we met," she said, "it's that if something good comes along, you gotta grab it coz you might not see it again for six years."

Her hands slipped down past the waistband of his sweatpants.

"That you grabbing something good?" he grinned.

"I promise I'll grab something even better if you take these clothes off."

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**One month ago…**_

Castiel stood at the foot of the rocky outcrop, staring at the empty space above it with a forlorn look on his face. This was the place he had last seen Dean, Nia, and Benny. He knew he couldn't stay here long but he felt strangely compelled to return as often as he could. He couldn't quite explain why because he knew they were no longer here and the portal would not appear for him. It apparently didn't work for angels and Jimmy's human soul had been dormant since the Leviathan had entered his vessel. He could feel it within him but could make no connection to it. It was his best guess the Leviathan had damaged the soul too much for the portal to even recognize it as human.

He enjoyed the rare, restful stillness of this night for the better part of an hour, standing with his eyes closed and thinking fondly of his friends before breathing in a reluctant sigh and preparing to head out of the valley. If he stayed anywhere too long, monsters would find him.

He took a step forward but froze when he heard a voice.

It was faint and soft and oh-so-familiar. A female voice, sounding distant and sad and he realized immediately it was the sound of a prayer. Nia's prayer.

"_Cas? I know you can't hear me but… but I miss you."_

He spun to search above the hill, expecting to see some glimmer of light from a seam in the door but there was only darkness.

"_Benny's gone off by himself for a few days. I think he's going to try and kill the vampire that killed his girlfriend fifty years ago. I wanted to go with him but he wouldn't let me. He says killing vamps would be a step backwards for me, whatever that's supposed to mean. So I came here instead… to you. This is where the door is, where it dropped me and Dean on this side. Maybe it's stupid but… I feel closer to you here. It's in the woods – a lot like Purg only no monsters. Well, not the same kind, anyway."_ She let out a small laugh that died out far too quickly to have held any mirth.

Cas closed his eyes and concentrated on the voice, his heart tight in his chest. She sounded so sad, so lonely. Her proximity to the door must be allowing him to hear her prayer through some unseen crack but it was fading and he knew he wouldn't have the connection much longer. _God, he missed her._

"_I've figured out a way, Cas," _she said eventually. _"A way to get you back."_

She continued speaking and as he listened, Cas found his breath quickening and panic welling up inside. By the time the voice faded to nothingness, the angel's fists were clenched at his sides.

He didn't have much time. He had to find a way out of Purgatory… and fast.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Sam tossed restlessly in his bed. Since completing the first trial and reading that spell, his body had been doing a number on him. He had a hard time eating, a hard time sleeping, and his cough had been getting more and more persistent. He'd even noticed specks of blood in the tissues. He really wanted the second trial to take place before he was too sick to handle it but Kevin seemed to be having little luck deciphering any more of the Tablet.

It was an hour before dawn when he finally gave up his futile attempt to sleep, throwing back the covers and stumbling out of his room towards the bathroom. He knew the three extra-strength Tylenol wouldn't help with his pounding headache but he took them anyway, letting out a tired sigh before heading back to his room. He shuffled towards the hallway but as he rounded the corner, he stopped and quickly ducked back a step to avoid being seen.

Jenna was coming out of Dean's bedroom wearing one of the 'dead guy' bathrobes and sporting definite bedhair. Sam smiled to himself as he watched her close Dean's door quietly behind her and tiptoe up the hallway to her own room.

_Yeah, like he hadn't seen that one coming. _Dean may have matured in recent years but he was still Dean.

With an hour or two still to go before everyone started getting up, Sam figured he would give sleep one more shot. He must have been successful this time for next thing he knew, his senses were hit with the most wonderful smell and a glance at his watch told him it was after nine o'clock. As tired as he was, the smell drew him out of bed and he shuffled down the hallway in his sleep clothes to investigate.

He ran into Dean first, whose raised eyebrow was a clear indication of how bad Sam looked.

"Get much sleep last night?" Sam snickered, giving his brother a sly smile and throwing a pointed glance towards Jenna, who was sitting at the table going over the alphabet with Lucas.

Dean gave him an unapologetic snort as his eyes scanned Sam top to bottom. "More than you, by the looks of it."

"You must be getting old then."

"Shut up, bitch."

"Jerk. So what's that smell?"

Dean grinned. "Ty's making waffles. I think we should keep him, Sam."

Sam chuckled. "Just him?"

Dean ignored the tease and dumped the box of artifacts he was carrying on the table. It had been the unspoken agreement between the brothers upon finding the Men of Letters bunker that Sam would read through and catalogue the texts and Dean would sort the boxes of 'weird shit', as he had so eloquently put it. The resources this place had to offer would be of no use to them if they didn't know what was here and where to look for it. Of course, Sam couldn't help but notice half the odds and ends from the boxes Dean had sorted so far had ended up in his bedroom, including the decades-old porn magazines.

After a delicious breakfast at a cheerful table, Sam took a long shower, hoping the strong water pressure of the bunker would help soothe some of the aches he was feeling. He came out to find Dean and Jenna sorting through the box together, sitting on the couch with no space between them and laughing at private jokes murmured in each other's ears. His body still felt like utter crap but the sight managed to bring a smile to his face.

The next week passed quickly, having so many people in the bunker not leaving much room for boredom. Jenna spent most nights in Dean's room but still retreated back to the one she shared with Lucas in the early hours before the boy woke up. The pair had dropped any pretense of sneaking around after the first night and although Sam couldn't help but be pleased to see his brother smiling as much as he was, he noticed that on occasion, Tyler didn't seem to share his sentiment.

At first, Sam had thought the young man was jealous but to see him and Jenna together, there was definitely nothing more than a sibling relationship between them. He wished he could get rid of the nagging feeling but the more he watched their houseguests, the more he thought they were hiding something.

He brought it up at one point to Dean but his brother dismissed it entirely, which worried Sam even further. Dean had great instincts and even better judgment, so for him not to pick up on something going on meant he didn't want to. After seeing how hurt Dean had been when things had ended so tragically with Lisa and Ben, Sam worried about his brother getting too close to Jenna, Tyler, and most of all, Lucas. The little guy was so clever and curious and sweet that even Sam found himself becoming attached. Sam had been hoping Dean would pull himself out of his post-Purgatory mentality but... but the elder Winchester seemed to have gone from hunter-desperado to family-man at warp speed.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Dean lay on his side with a relaxed smile on his face, his elbow bent to prop up his head over the pillow. Jenna lay on her stomach in front of him, her hands folded under her chin and her blonde hair glowing in the dim light. She let out a lazy humming sound as Dean's hand slid down her back and below the line of the sheet, which was twisted and strewn over both their lower halves.

"Is that your mother?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the small picture propped up on the stand of the bedside lamp.

"Mm-hmm," Dean acknowledged distractedly, brushing her hair aside and leaning down to kiss her shoulder.

"She's pretty."

He smiled against the skin of her neck as his finger absently traced the line of a scar on her lower back. "Well, I had to get my good looks from somewhere."

She let out a small huff of laughter but Dean felt her flinch beneath his touch and noticed how she pushed her left hand further underneath her right.

"Stop it," he scolded gently, sliding his left hand under her to thread his fingers with hers. She tensed but he kept going, curling their hands tightly together. It did feel a little strange, his index and middle finger pressed together in the gap where her middle finger used to be, but he didn't let it show.

"Dean…" she began but he cut her off with a 'shhhh' in her ear.

"Stop trying to hide it," he said bluntly, rolling her gently to face him while bringing their entwined hands to his lips. "It doesn't matter."

"Easy for you to say," she scoffed half-heartedly. "You can shake people's hands without freaking them out."

"Six years later and I'm still trying to convince you you're not a freak," he laughed gently, kissing her more firmly on the lips and remembering how certain she had been all those years ago that the psychic powers she had been given by the demon Azazel made her one of the monsters he should be hunting. "You're beautiful. A missing finger and a couple of scars aren't going to change that."

A genuine smile brightened her face and he felt her relax. "You always were convincing."

"Because I'm always right."

She kissed him again before pulling the sheet up and settling in pressed right up against his chest. "Wake me at five, huh?"

"Course," he agreed, reaching over her to turn off the lamp. It went dark with a small click and he laid his head down on the pillow, one arm slung comfortably beneath her.

He didn't have to lie awake for very long, sleep being more of a friend to him since finding the bunker, but while he did, his thoughts drifted to the new developments in the Winchesters' lives. Dean had been taken completely by surprise by how much he had enjoyed having their houseguests around for the past week, especially Jenna. It would seem he had missed her more than he had realized and the pair had picked up right where they left off. Actually, a step further because they were both older now, wiser and more willing to take comfort where they could get it.

It wasn't a perfect solution - in the past week of sharing a bed with Jenna, Dean had been startled awake on one occasion and lashed out at her violently in that pre-awareness instant. She had simply dodged it and laughed, taking him immediately out of the dark moment with a cheerful good morning kiss. His guilt and embarrassment over the event were softened by the fact that two nights earlier, she had been the one to cry out in her sleep and wake up gasping. She had dismissed it quickly, explaining that although she didn't have her powers anymore, she still found herself in Hell from time to time in her dreams but that it was comforting to not wake up from it alone for once. Being a comforting presence wasn't something Dean felt he had a lot of claim to.

He had to admit, it was a two-way street for he was finding solace in her company too. He had always tried to keep women at arm's length because bringing them into a Winchester's life could never end well for them – Lisa and Jessica being perfect examples. But Jenna's life was screwed up already – having her here with him in the shelter of the bunker actually made her _more safe_. For once he wasn't putting someone in danger but could offer them safety and protection. She seemed to understand him and he understood her; he knew what it was like to be hunted and could relate to her drive to keep Lucas safe. And Purgatory – the invisible monster lurking around every corner and the twisted knot constantly tugging at his frayed nerves – Purgatory seemed that much farther away with Jenna around. Somehow she was helping keep that monster at bay.

But it was more than that. She was a figure from his past before the lies and the betrayals and mounting death toll he had experienced in the past few years. She had been faced with the same dilemma as Sam, an unwanted demon power, yet she had despised it. She had fought against using it tooth and nail, her scars were testament to that, and unlike Sam, she had walked away from it the first chance she got. It may be naïve or foolish, but he trusted her and for Dean, trust was the one thing that could bring down those walls he kept up around himself.

**~X~X~X~X~**

It was the next afternoon when Sam found the intercom in the computer room of the bunker. He came across it quite by accident, moving a stack of boxes to reveal the dusty control panel on the wall labeled _Control Room_. A quick fiddle with some loose wires and the lights lit up, illuminating buttons labeled _kitchen, board room, lounge, library, garage, _and_ safe room_. He pressed the button marked garage and was greeted by his brother's echoing voice.

"_See, dude, this is a wrench. Know what this does?" _ There was a tapping sound, like metal on metal then Dean's voice again, chuckling. _"Nah, that's more like what a hammer does. This undoes nuts. Like this one. This is part of a spark plug. You wanna try? No? Ah, I see, you're more interested in the instruction manual."_ He groaned. _"Trust me little buddy, you don't need that. See, ya gotta fix engines by feel…"_

Dean had mentioned he was going to continue the work he had started before the trials had begun of getting the vehicles in the garage working. They had been sitting rusting for a long time and needed a lot of TLC, but to Dean, having non-running classic beauties around was like leaving a giant juice spill in the middle of the floor. He couldn't just keep on walking past them without doing something about it. Apparently Lucas had tagged along and was getting an impromptu, and possibly unwanted, mechanics lesson.

Sam smiled but didn't disturb them. Instead he pressed a couple more buttons until he heard voices when he hit the one marked _kitchen_. He was about to speak to see if they could hear him also but stopped when the conversation took an interesting turn.

"_You sure you know what you're doing, Jen?"_ That was Tyler.

"_Jeez Ty, I'm allowed to enjoy myself."_

"_That's not what this is. I know what you get like right after… you know, but random guys are one thing. Dean is…"_

Sam felt guilty for eavesdropping on what was obviously meant to be a private conversation but couldn't bring himself to release the button.

"_I thought you liked Dean,"_ Jenna argued.

"_I do but… he's Sam's brother. This complicates things."_

Sam frowned. What did he have to do with whatever was going on between Dean and Jenna?

He heard her sigh loudly, sounding exasperated, and Sam guessed this wasn't the first time they were having this conversation. _"Don't worry. We'll figure it out,"_ she said dismissively.

"_We have to tell them, you know."_

There was a long pause before Jenna answered, her voice now far more hushed. _"I know, just not yet, okay?"_

"_Why not?"_

"_You know why not. They'll take him away from me."_

"_You know they wouldn't do that."_

"_Wrong. They would and you know exactly why they would."_ Her voice was strained with obvious worry. _"And they probably should. I know that I don't…"_

"_Hey,"_ Tyler said quickly, sounding reassuring. _"You're the only mother Luke's ever known. You don't need my mojo to see how much you love that kid."_

"_I couldn't bear to lose him, Ty."_ Jenna's voice was now close to breaking and her tone turned pleading. _"Tell me I'm not going to lose him."_

Sam's heart began thumping in his chest as he listened and his mind started putting the pieces together.

"_You aren't. But while we're on that other subject…"_

Jenna groaned and the tone shifted. _"Don't start that again. Not right now. Soon Crowley will be dead or locked up and this will all be over and then I'll stop."_

"_Will you though? __**Can**__ you?"_

"_Ty, we've been over this a hundred times. I thought we were in agreement. This is the only way we can keep Luke safe."_

Now it was the young man's turn to sigh. _"Doesn't mean I have to like it,"_ he griped. _"I worry about you."_

"_Don't. I can handle myself, you know that."_

"_I'm not talking about demons,"_ Tyler said, though Sam was barely registering their words by this point, his finger glued to the button more from shock and an inability to move than anything else.

"_You really like him,"_ Tyler accused, his genuine concern evident in his softening tone. _"And don't bother trying to tell me you don't because you know you can't lie to me. I don't want to see you get hurt."_

"_I'm a big girl,"_ Jenna snorted and her next words took on a lighter, teasing tone. _"Besides, I thought I was supposed to be the one worried about you getting your young, innocent little heart broken."_

Sam's finger finally fell off the button of its own accord and he sat down on the edge of the nearby desk, his fingers gripping the sides and his heart racing. The second half of the conversation was a confusing blur to him at this point but the first half suddenly made a lot of sense. In fact, a lot of things suddenly made a lot of sense.

Like Lucas calling Dean 'Uncle'. The whispered conversations and the secretive looks. Both Jenna and Tyler continually asking Sam to look after Lucas while they did what seemed like made-up excuses. Why Crowley thought they would be worth trading the tablet for - it was Lucas he was after. Why Jenna thought she would lose Lucas if they 'told'. Their evasiveness on the subject of the boy's father. Lucas's dark coloring and angular cheekbones…

Quinn had been Native-American. Holy crap. Lucas was Quinn's son.

Lucas was _Sam's_ son.

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**A/N: **Yay, the big secret's out! Those who have read Someone to Save You already knew who Lucas's parents were (most likely) so now the rest of you have caught up. Those who have read my other works know I get bored with domestic so things kick up a notch next chapter. It may seem Dean and Jenna moved fast in this but I feel I covered all the 'getting to know each other' stuff in the previous fic and figured they were both in desperate places in their lives where they needed something the other could provide and the timing worked for them to fall right into it. _


	4. Revelations and Complications

_**Previously**__: Dean is surprised but happy to find himself tumbling into a relationship with Jenna, Cas is near the door when he gets an alarming prayer from Nia that makes him suddenly desperate to get out of Purgatory, and Sam overhears a conversation between Jenna and Tyler that implies Lucas is his son. _

**CHAPTER 4 – Revelations and Complications**

Sam spent the rest of the day floating somewhere between panicked and dazed. He didn't say a word of the conversation he had overheard or the earth-shattering suspicion he had derived from it - that he and Quinn were Lucas's real parents. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest when Dean and Lucas came back in from the garage. He felt his knees go weak and sat down quickly on the couch, watching as the boy held up the iPad to Dean.

"Can I watch De-pi-kibble Me?"

"Sure kid, but that's Sam's thing. He'll set it up for you."

Lucas turned immediately to Sam and came trotting over, a shy smile on his face. "Can I watch De-pi-kibble Me?"

Sam swallowed but he was almost certain his hand trembled as he reached out to take the iPad from Lucas. The boy had Quinn's mouth and cheekbones. Now that he was looking for it, he could definitely see the resemblance.

"That trial shit doin' a number on you today, Sammy?" Dean gave him a concerned look. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Nah," Sam shook his head, trying to sound convincing. He wasn't ready to share. "M'just tired."

Dean threw himself down on the other couch, lifting his arm to settle over his eyes. "Me too. Wake me when supper's ready, will ya?"

Sam didn't bother suggesting his brother go to his room to sleep like a normal person instead of napping on the couch – there were some habits Dean would never change. Instead he found 'Despicable Me' on the iPad and handed it to Lucas, who politely said thank-you and settled in next to Sam on the other couch.

Sam just stared at him for over an hour, his mind reeling with possibilities and unanswered questions. His stomach was doing somersaults and for once, he didn't think it was a side effect of the first trial. Was that his son? Was he a father? If so… could Lucas be any more unfortunate?

Sam wasn't used to second-guessing or doubting himself but for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. Did he confront Jenna and Tyler? Part of him thought he should but the other part wanted this to remain just a suspicion for a little while longer. When it was confirmed… no, _if_ it was confirmed… then the stakes would suddenly get so much higher, the responsibility resting on his shoulders instantly increasing tenfold. Sam always met every challenge head-on without flinching but he didn't feel equipped to handle this one.

What kind of father would he be when he couldn't manage to keep a stable home going – Jessica and Amelia being proof of that – never mind a home fit for a child? What kind of father would he be when he had no real example to go by? John Winchester had loved his sons and had tried his best but vengeance and protection had taken precedence over gentle parenting. Sam had been raised as much by Dean than his father, and Dean had been but a child himself.

Then there was the question of what the best thing was for Lucas? Would he be better off _not_ being a Winchester? There was certainly a lot of valid argument to be given in favor of that point. This name, this legacy, had brought nothing but pain, loss, and hardship to all those who were born into it. If Lucas was the latest in that line…

Sam felt a sudden need to confide in his older brother. "Hey Dean?" he called quietly, hoping to rouse him. Dean would know what to do.

All he got in response was a light snore. Lucas lifted his eyes from the iPad screen to glance curiously back and forth between the Winchesters. "He's sleeping," the boy informed him quietly. "Wake him up?"

Sam gave him a nervous smile but shook his head. "That's okay. I can talk to him later. Would you like some juice or anything while you watch your movie?"

Lucas nodded eagerly. "Can I have apple juice?"

"Sure." Sam rose to head to the kitchen where Tyler was making supper, something with garlic judging by the wonderful smell floating from that direction. Jenna was now curled up in one of the armchairs reading a book from the Men of Letters archive and she threw the hunter a warm smile as he got up.

Holding a half-filled 'Monsters Inc' cup that Dean had picked up at a drive-thru the previous day, he came back in the living room just in time to see Lucas standing by the couch, reaching out to tap Dean's face. His brother was shifting restlessly in his sleep and Sam opened his mouth to voice a quiet warning to the young boy but his words came too late.

One gentle tap was all it took. Dean's eyes flew open and his fist shot out as a fierce-sounding shout escaped his lips. Luckily the punch was aimed at a taller foe than a five-year-old boy and it sailed harmlessly over his head but as Dean's body bolted upright, Lucas let out a terrified squeal. He raced away towards Jenna, who was already jumping to her feet.

Lucas stopped screaming as soon as he reached her, cowering behind her and letting out a litany of whimpers and sobs as he wrapped his arms tightly around her legs. Alarmed, Sam froze in his step and watched the scene unfold.

Dean was on his feet at this point, breathing heavily and Sam couldn't help but notice the tense expression melt into one of horror as Dean realized what he had done. Jenna dropped to her knee and repeated comforting words to Lucas but the boy kept sobbing and clinging to her frantically.

"It's alright, Luke, it's just Dean. You just startled him is all… he's not mad, he's not gonna hurt anyone… it's okay sweetie, it's okay," she assured him.

Tyler came running out of the kitchen with a wooden spoon in his hand but stopped abruptly next to Sam as he assessed the situation. Dean sank back down onto the couch, burying his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to scare him. I… I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."

It was Tyler who stepped forward to address Dean. "Hey, it's no big deal. He just got frightened for a sec. He still remembers… sometimes… you know, the demons and stuff from Crowley's."

That's when a harsh reality hit Sam and he gasped out loud, more than ever wanting his suspicions of Lucas's real parentage to be wrong. If Lucas was his then… then he had a kid who had been traumatized and terrorized and lived in fear without a single day of normalcy since birth – everything he had hated about his childhood times a hundred. And all of it simply because Sam was his father.

_Please tell me I didn't bring this life on my son._

Stunned, he stood off to the side with the cup of apple juice still in his hand while Jenna settled back down on the armchair with Lucas on her lap, his face still buried in her neck. Tyler had given Dean a reassuring tap on the forearm and had clearly managed, with his usual subtlety, to graze the skin enough to get a read on the elder Winchester's emotions because he was currently saying all he could to put Sam's brother at ease.

"It's not your fault; he's fine most of the time now but he gets scared when he thinks someone's mad. It happened last month in an ice cream shop when a customer started yelling at the server girl. See, when the demons would get mad, it usually didn't end well for us and he saw a lot of shit go down."

"I didn't mean to scare him," Dean sighed. "I just get a bit jumpy since…" He trailed off and Sam could see the guilt in his brother's face as he glanced over at Jenna and Lucas.

"Since Purgatory," Tyler finished, matter-of-factly. The young man certainly was refreshingly open about things. "I get it. Look, it's no big deal, Dean. He'll be fine soon." He turned towards the pair on the chair. "Right Bullet? You're not scared of Uncle Dean any more are you?"

Lucas blinked thoughtfully at Tyler for a second before shifting his gaze to Dean.

"Sorry if I frightened you, little buddy," Dean managed, not bothering this time to correct the 'uncle' part of Tyler's question. "We good?"

The boy nodded his head slowly.

"Look, Sam's got your orange juice," Jenna said lightly and Sam took that as his cue to unfreeze himself and move forward, his legs moving numbly as his heart raced a mile a minute.

"It's apple juice," he corrected absently as he handed the cup to the boy, who perked up immediately and reached out with both hands to take it from him, tears already drying on his face.

"Thank-you."

"You're welcome." Sam stood next to the armchair for a few long seconds before Tyler announced supper was ready and everyone started moving to the work table that had recently been given the unspoken designation of 'dining table'.

Supper was quiet with everyone seemingly lost on their own thoughts. It was Tyler who kept up what little conversation took place and most of it was with Lucas. Sam had to admit, the boy seemed to have moved past the incident but the memory of the sheer terror in his eyes and in that piercing scream just wouldn't let Sam's insides unwind from the knot they were in. No kid his age should even know that kind of fear. Lucas was the same age Dean had been when he had witnessed his mother burning on the ceiling, no doubt heard her dying screams. Sam loved his brother but held no delusions that night hadn't damaged him permanently.

Jenna took Lucas to bed early that night and no sooner had she returned to sit with the rest of the grown-ups in the living room than the words tumbled out of Sam's mouth.

"Jenna, who's his father?"

The blonde's mouth dropped open as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Who's Luke's father?" he pressed, the Star Wars analogy barely registering in the back of his mind.

"Sam!" Dean admonished sternly. It was a subject the brothers had quickly figured was unsettling for Jenna and had had therefore avoided any questions on the subject but now that Sam thought he knew the real reasons behind her discomfort…

"I need to know." He kept his hard gaze fixed on Jenna.

He could feel rather than see Dean's eyes narrow at him. "Dude, that's none of our busi…"

"You are," Jenna replied flatly. "You're his dad, Sam."

"Wh-what?" Dean's tone changed immediately. "Say what?"

Sam swallowed. He had been next to positive but to hear those words out loud made it all so very real. _He was a father._

"He's Quinn's son." Sam didn't phrase it as a question.

Jenna nodded, the color drained from her face. She actually looked frightened.

"Quinn's and mine," he continued slowly. It was still sinking in.

She nodded again. "I wanted to tell you a hundred times but…"

"But you didn't," Dean cut her off, his tone sharp.

Tyler quickly jumped to Jenna's defense. "We had to wait, to be sure you guys were, you know, the good guys."

"The good guys?" Dean's tone had shifted to incredulous. "We saved your asses. We saved your asses and you lied to us."

"We never outright lied," Tyler said sheepishly. "Luke's been learning about mommies and daddies on TV and from other kids at the park and he just recently started calling Jenna 'Mommy'. You guys just assumed he was right and we just never corrected it."

"News flash, kid. That's lying."

"Dean." Sam lifted a hand to stop Dean's obvious shock from being displayed as anger.

"What?" Dean snapped. "It is."

"Dean, it's fine. They were looking out for Lucas. For… my son."

Dean must have noticed Sam's pale face and trembling voice because he dropped the subject immediately and gave his brother a bewildered look.

"Dude, you're a dad," he blurted.

"Yeah. Guess I am."

"Holy shit. I don't know how I didn't see it before. He looks a lot like you when you were little."

"I think he looks like Quinn," Sam found himself saying.

"Yeah, I suppose but… he's got your eyes, Sammy."

Sam leaned back on the couch, feeling drained and infused all at the same time.

"That's why he called me Uncle…" Dean was obviously still processing the facts, much like Sam had been doing all afternoon.

Jenna nodded. "We've talked about you guys. He must have connected the name."

"Does he know I'm…?" Sam raised the obvious question but couldn't finish it.

"His father?" Jenna shook her head. "When we mentioned you to him, we always referred to you as his daddy, not Sam. He's only five; I don't think he associated the name."

"Well, you didn't exactly join the dots for him," Dean accused.

Sam ignored Dean's snippiness. His brother always took it as a personal betrayal when he was lied to. "Did Quinn ever meet him?"

Jenna's eyes grew instantly sad and it was Tyler who offered a solemn answer.

"We don't think so."

"But we weren't there… I'm sure she got to hold him," Jenna interrupted quickly.

Tyler gave her a sympathetic look that made it clear to Sam he didn't believe her comforting delusion. Jenna had been a lot closer to Quinn than Tyler since Quinn had been dating Jenna's brother Jason for five years before he was killed by demons just a month after Jessica.

"Crowley said she died in childbirth. He was like _'my boys are eager beavers ripping things apart but far less so when it comes to putting them back together again, I'm afraid'_." Tyler mimicked Crowley's accent and raspy voice to an eerily accurate tee and threw another apologetic glance at Jenna before continuing. "He showed up with the baby still covered in birth crap and gave it to Jen."

Jenna finished the sentence. "But I didn't know the first thing about babies so they let Ty come stay in my room with me to help out."

Tyler shrugged. "I'd had young cousins who were babies so I knew a little bit. Crowley wanted the baby kept alive and it wasn't like any of his demons would make very good nursemaids."

"He wanted the baby kept alive to use against me?" Sam managed to ask, his voice thick.

Tyler nodded. "He thought Luke might have some value as leverage against you two or to angels or maybe he would have some special psychic abilities he could use for his own purposes."

Sam felt his insides tighten. "Abilities?" he croaked. "Does he?"

"He's normal," Jenna assured him quickly. "He's beautiful and he's smart and he's so much like Quinn…" Her voice trailed off and Sam realized she was crying. Without thinking, he got up off the couch and walked over to her, tugging her to her feet and pulling her into a tight embrace. He could see Dean's face over her shoulder and knew his brother well enough to decipher the complicated expression immediately. There was a mixture of anger at the apparent betrayal by their houseguests, shock at finding out Sam was a father, and a half-raised eyebrow at Sam's overtly huggy behavior.

"Please don't take him from me," Jenna whispered into the front of Sam's shirt. "I thought you were dead and I was the only family Quinn cared about so it made sense he belonged to me so when he started calling me Mommy, I let him. If I had known you were alive, I would have tried to find you but… God please don't take him away from me. I know he's yours but… he's my everything."

It struck Sam suddenly just how complicated this situation was. "I won't," he assured her, honestly believing he could promise that much. She was the only mother Lucas had ever known. He couldn't take that from his son. "I won't."

As he released his hold on her and took a step backwards, an image flashed through his mind of him and Amelia, walking hand in hand with Riot at the park and Lucas running around them, giggling and blowing bubbles into the air through one of those little plastic rings they sell at convenience stores.

_No._ He pushed the thought aside quickly. Amelia was gone. That part of his life was over. His future didn't include her anymore now that Dean was back and Don was back and especially now that he had a son… Holy shit, he had a son. How was he going to raise a son? He didn't deserve a son. Dean had been the one who wanted kids, not him. He wasn't cut out for fatherhood. He was starting to feel completely overwhelmed when he felt a reassuring grip on his arm and turned to see Dean standing next to him.

"Dude, you okay? You're lookin' a little shell-shocked there."

He managed a nod and sat back down on the couch.

Dean grinned down at him. "One day at a time, man. This'll all work out."

Sam nodded again. _One day at a time._ Good advice. He decided he had to focus on the immediate future. Tyler and Jenna were convinced Crowley was still after them – well, after _Lucas_. So first things first, he needed to take out Crowley and the threat he posed. He needed to finish the trials and close the gates of Hell.

Just then Lucas came wandering down the hall wearing his pajamas, clutching the stuffed, grey giraffe Jenna had picked up while grocery shopping with Dean.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Jenna said, rising to her feet immediately before faltering for a second and throwing Sam a confused glance.

Sam nodded. "Go," he said. "It's fine."

He didn't miss the frown that appeared on Dean's face.

"He doesn't even know yet," he said quietly in an effort to appease his brother once Jenna was out of earshot.

"Well he should."

"We'll tell him tomorrow," Tyler offered.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Sam agreed, not having any idea how this transition was going to be made or what even needed to be transitioned. This was so damn complicated.

Jenna now had Lucas on her hip and she came back over towards the couches. "Luke can't sleep so I'm gonna read him another story and maybe turn in with him…" Her eyes flitted uncertainly to Sam again. "Kay?"

"See you in the morning," Sam nodded quickly, letting her know it was fine with him and simultaneously feeling awkward that she was seeking his permission. "G'night Luke," he said to the boy, trying to sound as lighthearted as he could.

"Night, Sam." Lucas smiled and turned to the others. "Night Ty. Night Dean."

"Night, Bullet," Tyler waved cheerily. "Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Lucas finished with a chuckle over Jenna's shoulder.

There was a long silence after the pair disappeared up the hallway before Dean posed a question. "Bullet?" he asked about the nickname. "Is that because Quinn was shot?"

Tyler nodded. "It was what she called him when he was still inside her. We didn't get to see her much but the few times we did, she would say her baby was gonna be one tough sonofabitch just like its father." He gave Sam a half-hearted smile. "I mean, the kid survived a bullet just two days into its existence. That's gotta tell you something, right?"

"Yeah; he's a Winchester," Dean snorted.

"Crowley really had it in for Quinn though," Tyler continued. "He treated her like shit and only kept her alive to deliver the baby. She had no powers so he had no other use for her and… well, you remember Quinn – she was mouthy and a smart ass and Crowley hated being talked back to when he was in a bad mood." He sighed. "Jen doesn't like to talk about her. I think part of her still wants to believe Crowley let her go after Luke was born but…"

"That's not Crowley's style," Dean finished for him.

"Definitely not."

"Did she know she was pregnant?" Sam asked. "Before Crowley caught you guys, I mean."

"You're wondering why didn't she tell you?" Tyler surmised. "She was only about a month along. That last time we talked to you guys from Austin, she had figured it out that morning but hadn't worked up the courage to tell you yet." He gave Sam a sincere look. "She told me that was one of her biggest regrets."

"We shouldn't have given up on finding you," Dean blurted. "That one's on us, kid."

"You had no way of knowing."

"Why did you name him Lucas?" Sam asked, only partially in an attempt to steer the conversation away from blame. Now that the secret was out, it seemed Tyler was far more eager to share the details and right now, Sam wanted details.

Dean scoffed. "Duh, _Jedi_."

The young man on the couch next to Dean laughed and rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a Star Wars thing. Call it Crowley's sense of humor but the only book we had in our rooms for the longest time was the bible. Found it in one of the drawers like a freaking hotel room. No TV, but a perfect copy of a Gideon's Bible. Crowley's way of rubbing it in that God wasn't getting involved, I guess. Anyway, the Gospel of Luke was the one that gave the most credit to women. Quinn being the way she was, Jen thought that would mean something to her. And it was mostly about redemption and forgiveness and considering what Jen was being made to do for Crowley… well, I don't have to explain why she kinda took that part to heart."

Sam noticed Dean's expression soften a little and hoped his brother would let the anger at the initial lie drop. Lucas was his son and he didn't blame Jenna or Tyler in the least for taking their time in coming clean. When he had asked outright, they had told him. It was a fucked up situation and he could see the difficult position they had found themselves in when the presumed-dead Winchesters suddenly showed up on their doorstep. Hopefully Dean wouldn't hold a grudge.

"You don't like the name?" Tyler questioned.

"No, no it's fine," Sam said quickly. "I like it fine. Kind of ironic that my son's named after a prophet other than Chuck but… I like it."

Sam was starving for information. He asked Tyler to tell him about their years with Crowley, about what kind of life his son had been raised into. Needing but dreading the answers at the same time, he listened intently as the young man spoke freely for the first time since arriving at the bunker.

Once the baby was born and handed over to Jenna and Tyler to look after, things changed. Jenna gave up any pretense of refusing to go along with Crowley's demands because all the King of Hell had to do was glance towards the baby and she would crumble. Tyler explained that although Crowley didn't want the boy dead, he had no qualms about inflicting pain or non-lethal damage. He and Jenna both had scars proving that point.

But as much power as the demon had over Jenna, when she started to make small demands in exchange for pulling demons from Hell, Crowley agreed for expediency's sake and they soon came to an unspoken agreement. The prisoners were moved to a much larger room in Crowley's basement and for every demon pulled, they were given some small luxuries such as a couch, a second bed, books, and eventually a TV.

"Trust me, it's freaking hard to entertain a kid twenty-four seven in a single room," he snorted.

There were always demon guards on duty. There were only four in the rotation since they had to bear the binding mark because Jenna had the power to pull them from their meatsuits and send them back to Hell with a mere thought. What made her valuable also made her dangerous.

"They never let Lucas outside," Tyler admitted, his voice quiet as he spoke. "He was almost four before he saw his first tree."

Sam was horrified at the revelation and felt a lump forming in his throat as he listened in shocked silence. His brother's face was a mirror of his own and Dean remained silent also.

"And a car and a playground and… and a dog." Tyler laughed suddenly, the memory obviously a fond one. "It was this huge German Shepherd outside a store and he just ran right up to it and hugged it, calling it Delgado over and over." He glanced around. "That's the dog from Beverly Hills Chihuahua," he explained upon seeing both Winchesters' blank faces. "He'd only seen dogs on TV until then. He's always wanted one but, you know, the way we live…"

Sam just nodded, knowing the nausea he was feeling had nothing to do with the demon trials.

"Anyway, the demon guards were always pissy. They hated being stuck on guard duty and they hated having to wear the binding marks – they're really uncomfortable for the demon, which is why they don't all wear them. They didn't hit Luke, Crowley had a no-touch order on him, but the poor little guy saw both me and Jenna get it from time to time. It used to upset him so bad."

He glanced at Dean. "That's why he got so terrified earlier when you took a swing. He probably thought you were going to hit Jen."

"My God," Sam managed when he finally found his voice, his heart growing heavier with every new bit of information Tyler shared. This was his worst nightmare coming true. "That's been his childhood?"

"Nah, not all of it," Tyler said, shaking his head. "He's had good too. Jen did whatever they asked to try and shelter him from most of the violence and since we've gotten away from there, he's come a long way. I mean, you see him. He's not miserable. He's a happy kid. He's shy but he's smiley. And inquisitive as all Hell. He's coming out of his shell. I mean, he's a kid. They're resilient."

"Damn right. And when we close the gates of Hell, demons are gonna be in his rear view and he's gonna be just fine, Sam," Dean added, the first words he had spoken since Tyler had started sharing. "And he's got the safest place on the planet to live in and like Jen said, he'll go to a nice school and have normal friends and stuff. Just like _you_ always wanted. And when he's sixteen, he'll get to drive to school in one of those classics in the garage and his awesome uncle'll teach him all he needs to know about chicks and… maybe beer."

Dean's efforts paid off and Sam felt himself smile despite the horrifying truth he had just been handed. He nodded. "Yeah, okay. Just, no beer 'til he's at least eighteen, 'kay?"

"What? Dude, you were fifteen first time I got you drunk."

"And I puked in Dad's boots, remember?"

Dean chuckled. "Lightweight."

Tyler went to bed early also, leaving Sam and Dean sitting alone in the living room absorbing the night's revelations. Sam looked up to find his brother giving him a curious look.

"What?"

"Something just occurred to me. You slept with Quinn."

"Obviously."

"_You_. All those years ago you – back when you'd blush if a freaking waitress had perky nipples."

"Yeah, that me."

"And _Quinn_. She was a pain in the ass but she was hot and… wild. Too wild for you."

"Apparently not. Try not to look so surprised, Dean. I wasn't exactly a virgin."

"You weren't exactly playing it pro."

Sam didn't particularly want to be made fun of but was enjoying the relaxing familiarity of the casual, teasing conversation with his brother so he let it continue, soaking up the sense of normalcy it was giving him in light of the life changing turn this day had taken.

"What does even that mean, Dean?"

"Did I teach you nothing growing up? Protection, little brother. Number one rule."

Sam snorted. "You're one to talk. The name Emma ring any bells?" He thought he noticed Dean flinch and immediately regretted the comment. "Besides, we did use protection. I used the box of condoms you kept in your weapons duffel, you know… the one '_for emergencies_'."

Dean rolled his eyes. "You used a condom out of a cardboard box that had been spilling around in a bag of sharp, pointy knives for months? And they say you're the smart one."

Sam frowned. "When you put it that way..."

"That's okay, Sammy, you were distracted by boobs."

He knew it was his brother's way of trying to cheer him up but Sam couldn't stifle the groan that escaped him. "You're almost thirty-five years old. Are you ever gonna grow up?"

The elder Winchester's face grew serious and Sam realized regretfully that the light-hearted moment was over.

"So…" Dean began, his tone instantly telling Sam he wasn't going to like the next sentence. "Tomorrow we get digging online, find another Hellhound, and I take it out."

Sam shook his head fervently. "No. No way." He should have seen this argument coming. Of course Dean's mind would go immediately to him taking over the trials.

"You can't argue this now. You got a family to take care of."

"And that includes you. I still plan on surviving these trials, Dean. Now more than ever."

"And what if you don't?"

"Then at least I know the kid has the best uncle in the world who'll raise him and protect him for me."

"I'm not his father."

"You weren't mine either. That didn't stop you from giving everything for me."

Sam's gushing words were clearly unexpected because Dean's mouth opened slightly but no sound came out. It wasn't often Dean was rendered speechless and Sam took immediate advantage.

"I'm doing these trials, Dean," he said, his determined tone leaving no room for argument. "I'm _surviving_ these trials. I just need you to have my back, same as always."

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**Two Weeks Ago…**_

Cas had been moving for fifteen days straight without pause, scouring the Purgatory forest for Ba'ahwrains. Traveling alone, he had no need for rest or for sleep, but he wished he still had his angel teleporting power for traveling on foot was slow even at his frantic pace. If he did not find a Ba'ahwrain powerful enough soon, he might lose Nia for good. He may already be too late.

Drawn to a presence in the vicinity, he ran around a small hill to find the creature he had been seeking. He could sense it from quite a distance; it was by far the most powerful he had come across yet. If this desperate plan had any chance of working, this was it.

He caught the hideous-looking Ba'ahwrain by the neck, slamming its human-shaped bulk up against a tree. It shrieked as it struggled against him but a generous dose of angel power kept it in place.

Cas tilted his head as he studied it. "Yes," he said in the creature's native tongue though he was speaking mostly to himself. "You should be powerful enough."

"You're an angel," it hissed.

"Yes."

"Are you going to smite me?"

"No. I have another purpose for you. I need your help."

"Help? Why would I help an angel?"

Cas tightened his grip and pressed his free hand against the creature's cheek, sending just enough smiting power to make the Ba'ahwrain let out another shriek. After a moment, he released it, watching it pant in his grasp.

"Because if you do as I ask, I will spare you," Cas said simply, raising his hand again.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it," the creature said quickly. "Whatever it is. I'll help you."

"Good answer." The angel released his grip, dropping the Ba'ahwrain to the ground. "Let's get started."

**~X~X~X~X~**

Dean was lying awake at two o'clock in the morning, staring at the ceiling and still trying to process the news that Sam was now a father. A soft knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts and his lips drew in a tight line. He had been relieved, if not glad, when Jenna hadn't shown up in his room at her usual time. He still didn't know if he wanted her here now but he tossed the covers aside and made his way to the door anyway.

He felt even more conflicted when he found her standing there with slightly puffy eyes, a clear sign she had been crying.

"Am I still welcome?" she asked quietly.

He found himself stepping aside and gesturing for her to come in. She sat down on the bottom of his bed and looked up at him expectantly. Dean wasn't sure what she wanted him to say, he wasn't ready to pretend he wasn't angry and hurt at the huge secret she had kept from him for the past week, so he didn't say anything. The silence quickly became deafening.

Jenna spoke first. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

He remained where he was, standing stiffly in his sweats with his arms folded across his bare chest. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn't shed the anger that had a hold of him. Well, it wasn't really anger but he was doing his damndest to mold it into that. Anger was easier than hurt.

As fast and loose with the ladies as Dean Winchester used to pretend to be, he had always been anything but. Sex was an intimate experience for him, especially when there were genuine feelings involved. Finding out Jenna had been lying to him this past week, through all the intimate moments and soft, open conversations they'd shared, Dean suddenly felt like it hadn't been real. The closeness he had felt with this woman had lost its validity because apparently it had been one-sided. Dean tended to avoid real relationships with women who didn't know who he really was because he couldn't be honest with them and honesty was what he needed most in a relationship. It may have only been a week but he thought he had found that in Jenna. So yes, it fucking hurt to suspect he had been wrong.

"Dean, I was going to tell you guys eventually, I swear."

"Yeah? When?" He wanted to believe her.

"Soon. I just… it's hard." She sat on the edge of his bed, hanging her head and wringing her hands in her lap. "The last time I saw Quinn, she knew she wasn't going to make it and she asked me to look after Bullet. I mean, she begged me to take care of him. I felt like she gave him to me and… and he was mine for so long. I know he really wasn't but with Sam and Quinn both dead, it felt like he was. Then suddenly Sam's alive and… I was terrified he would take Luke away from me."

Dean's resolve was crumbling fast. He knew what it was like to love a child that wasn't yours and he knew what it was like to have to give that child up. Letting Ben go had been one of the hardest things he had ever done and it ate at him to this day.

"You still should have told us right away. Come on, Jen, why would you even think Sam would take him away from you?"

She lifted her head to give him an incredulous look. "Of course he would… will. I'm not exactly mother material, am I? Nobody in their right mind would choose me as a mother, nobody would want me around their child. With demon blood in me and what I am and – and after everything I did for Crowley…"

There were fresh tears welling up in her eyes and her voice was trembling. Dean realized without a doubt she was sincere and he pushed his own hurt aside as his anger calmed.

"Sam has that same demon blood you do. He's one of Azazel's psychic kids too. And it means nothing. He's not a bad guy for it any more than you are. As for what Crowley made you do, you weren't given a choice," he assured her, taking a seat on the bed next to her to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder.

She let out a snort that turned into more of a sob. "I pulled a demon out of Hell for him for PBS Kids."

"Huh?" Dean didn't understand.

"Crowley asked me to pull this really powerful demon and I said I would if he hooked up PBS Kids in our room. You can guess how many people that demon has hurt or killed and I let that happen for a TV channel. Tell me, Dean, what kind of person does that? Does that sound like someone you would let be mother to your kid?"

Dean remembered his initial meeting of Jenna six years ago, when Crowley's demons had first made her pull a demon from Hell by putting a gun to Dean's head. She'd had self-esteem issues about her mojo even then. Hunters had tried to kill her just like Gordon Walker had done to Sam, telling her innocent people were safer with her dead. She thought of herself as a freak, and that was before she spent four years being psychologically beaten down by the King of Hell. It suddenly made sense she would think Sam would take Lucas away from her, think she was undeserving of the mother role, especially considering the circumstances under which they had run into her again.

"We've all done things we aren't proud of," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead and remembering his last decade in Hell. "You were in an impossible situation and when it came down to it, you did what was best for the kid. That's what a mother would do."

She wiped a tear track away but remained silent.

"Look, I'm sorry," Dean apologized. "I can be a dick sometimes, alight? I had no right to be pissed at you for taking a week to come clean. At least you did come clean. That's what counts, right?"

She gave him a hopeful look and managed a nod.

"Just no more lies, okay?"

She gave him a weak smile. "Right."

He wasn't sure he had convinced her as completely as he had managed to convince himself that things were fine between them so he leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, prying tenderly until he got a response and she returned the gesture in kind.

"You staying the night?" he asked hopefully.

She answered by simply crawling up the bed and slipping under the covers.

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**Two weeks ago…**_

"You need to remove your shirt."

Cas gave the Ba'ahwrain an uncomfortable and suspicious look. "Why?"

"Because I need to touch your vessel's chest, of course. Aren't angels supposed to be all-knowing?"

"Very well," he agreed grudgingly, removing his trench coat and pulling the hospital shirt off over his head.

The creature lifted its gnarled hand and placed it flat against Cas's chest. It was cold to the touch but the angel soon began to feel the monster's power pushing its way inside him. He could feel it reaching deeper and deeper, invisible tendrils searching his vessel by feel and he immediately began to squirm. The feeling was unpleasantly invasive and Cas felt incredibly vulnerable at this moment but the fist he kept clenched at his side would hopefully deter the Ba'ahwrain from making any foolish moves against him. He could still smite it with a touch.

"Hold still," it growled. "And stop brandishing your celestial power; it is making it hard to find what I am seeking. You need to relax or I can't move about freely in there."

"Sorry," Cas said sheepishly.

Another few torturously long and uncomfortable minutes passed before the creature's head snapped up. "I've got it," he announced eagerly. Then his twisted features pulled into an even more twisted frown. "But this is not good."

"What is not good?" Cas questioned nervously. "Have you found him or not?"

The Ba'ahwrain nodded slowly and Cas could feel an awareness drawing to the surface within his mind. An awareness he had not felt in a long time. A familiar awareness yet at the same time, completely foreign.

The cold, knobbed hand was removed from his chest and the soul-sucking creature took a staggering step backwards. "I found it," it said slowly. "I have pulled it to the surface so you may regain your connection to it but…" It shook its head, looking nervous. "But it is damaged. More damaged than I have ever seen one. I feed on them, angel, but I do not heal them. I can't heal them."

Cas nodded in understanding. This was not an unexpected outcome. "Very well. Thank-you for your help." He shot a hand forward and planted it on the Ba'ahwrain's forehead, summoning as much heavenly power as he could and channeling it forward. The creature struggled and fought back but eventually slumped to the ground, dead, pale lights still flickering beneath its eyelids.

Cas turned his attention inwards, feeling suddenly apprehensive and hopeful. He reached out to make that connection that had been completely gone for such a long time now, speaking aloud as he did so.

"Jimmy?"

**~X~X~X~X~**

True to their word, the next morning Tyler and Jenna explained to Lucas that Sam was in fact his daddy. The young boy took it very calmly, staring blankly at Sam with a mildly interested expression that made it clear he was too young to realize the heavy implications of the revelation just yet. It was agreed amongst the adults that things wouldn't change too quickly, giving Lucas time to adjust without turning his life upside down yet again. Sam would slowly assume more of the parenting responsibilities as his son got used to him.

Over the past year, whenever their accommodations had allowed, Jenna and Tyler had been gradually getting the young boy used to sleeping in his own room. Spending his first three years in such tight quarters with Jenna and Tyler had made the shift more daunting than for most children but Dean's promise of clearing out another room just for him and Sam's promise of getting a Thor poster for his wall had the five-year-old on board within seconds.

Feeling strangely optimistic, Sam sat on the floor with his son in the open area outside the kitchen to help him assemble the new Lego set Dean had picked up yesterday in an attempt to thwart the sudden interest the boy had taken in climbing the bookshelves. Lucas was quiet as usual and even though the Lego was geared for eight to ten year olds and was far too complex for him to assemble without a lot of help, he studied the assembly manual as if it was the most exciting thing he had ever come across. Sam tried to direct him through the steps but the shape in Lucas's hands resembled an alien head more than the spaceship it was intended to be.

He heard a laugh and glanced through the open door into the kitchen, where Dean was standing behind Jenna with his arm around her waist, whispering something undoubtedly naughty into her ear as she tried to butter toast for Lucas's breakfast. The sight gave Sam a warm feeling inside and he suddenly felt like things were finally looking up for the Winchesters. It wasn't what he had expected or what he had been chasing his whole life but it was the promise of a different version of peace and happiness all the same.

Tyler went for a ride on the motorcycle and Jenna went to shower after breakfast, leaving Sam and Dean alone in the living room with Lucas flying his 'spaceship' around in the air, soft whooshing noises escaping his lips every time the pilot took a dive or a sharp incline.

Sam chuckled softly and sat back on the couch. "So you and Jenna seem to be back on track," he pointed out.

His brother frowned in response, clearing his throat a little uncomfortably. "Yeah, about that, uhh, I was wondering, I mean, I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Doesn't it bother you? Me and her, I mean?"

Sam shook his head emphatically. "I'm fine with it. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because it's messed up."

Sam didn't see the problem and assumed his brother's insecurities were rearing their heads again. "Messed up how, Dean?"

"Well, she's basically the mother of your kid and me and her…" He shook his head. "You gotta admit, it is kind of a fucked up situation, right?"

Sam let out another chuckle, seeing his brother's point. "What about our life isn't?" he challenged. "I'm good with it, Dean. I'm glad actually. I'm happy for you. Just don't, you know…"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Don't what?"

"Just don't let her think this is something if it's not because she's gonna be sticking around for a while. You screw it up and things could get kinda complicated." Tyler's voiced concerns to Jenna yesterday suddenly made so much sense to Sam. Yes, things could get very complicated – for Lucas especially.

"Don't worry, it's not like that."

"No?" Sam gave his brother a knowing smile, one he knew would infuriate the elder Winchester. "What happened to _'hunters can't have relationships or families'_ and _'both feet in or both feet out – anything in between is what gets you dead'?"_ He brought up the words of advice Dean had given him just a few short weeks ago.

"Whoa, slow down Mr. Mom. Jenna and me, we're just… well, I dunno what we are, but we're not that… yet."

"You really like her." It wasn't phrased as a question.

"Shut up."

"You do."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, Sam. I do. I did six years ago and I still do now."

"Huh," was all Sam could come up with in reply, surprised at the open admission from his brother. He couldn't help but notice how much his brother had matured emotionally that he could openly admit that. He was liking this new budding honesty between them – loving it actually.

"If Bobby could see us now, huh?" Dean snorted.

"Tell me about it. I can't believe I have a kid."

"Haven't you ever wanted kids?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm not sure. I know you always did and I know I always wanted the normal - the girl and the house and the lawyer gig - but the kid thing… I always worried about you know, passing it on."

"Passing what on?"

Sam pursed his lips. Was his brother really that clueless? "The demon blood, Dean," he said bluntly. "It's still a part of my make-up. Biologically speaking."

Dean leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and giving his brother a hard stare. "Okay, let's get something straight. There is nothing wrong with you. Never has been. Sure you've made mistakes and some pretty shitty calls in your time but you're a good person, Sam. All the way through. You're fine. And that kid, that sweet little dude over there making fart noises with his flying alien head - he's just fine too."

Sam was saved from responding to the heartfelt statement by the sound of Dean's phone buzzing in his pocket. His brother pulled it out and Sam knew from the tense expression and the way Dean immediately got up and took a few steps away before answering that it was Benny.

He tried to curb the anger – _or was it resentment? jealousy even?_ - that immediately started boiling within him as he strained to listen to the local side of the conversation.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Hey, buddy, what's up?"

Dean headed down the few steps into the main foyer room as he answered. He knew Sam didn't approve of his friendship with Benny, especially since Dean had spat the hurtful words _'Benny's been more of a brother to me this past year than you've ever been' _ while under the influence of a spector a few weeks back. Normally he would ignore the calls from the vampire and return them later when he was alone but Benny had been having a hard time recently. He'd been faltering since he found out Andrea had turned vamp and lost her humanity instead of her life and the hunter dared not leave his friend hanging if it was important. The bloodlust that hadn't been present in Purgatory had returned with a vengeance topside and Dean had become Benny's version of an AA sponsor, talking him down when things got difficult. Apparently Nia had not been adjusting well either and when Benny felt out of his depth with her, he would get her to call Dean. The hunter would find some way of bringing Cas into the conversation and convince her the angel would want her to be well.

"_Hello, brother."_ Benny's Louisiana drawl was strangely comforting and Dean's lips always curled into a smile at the sound of his voice.

"Hey, not really a good time, man. Can I call you back later?"

"_Don't hang up. Dean, I need your help."_

Dean swallowed. Crap, Benny sounded desperate. "Talk to me."

"_It's Nia. She's in trouble."_ Benny let out a ragged sigh. _"You said you had a cure for newly turned vampires who hadn't fed yet?"_

The hunter stopped in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. "She been turned?"

"_Yeah."_

"Oh shit, Benny, how did…? Fuck. Fuck!" Panic erupted inside Dean and he fought to get it back under control. He knew Benny had been struggling recently but to bite and turn Nia? He certainly hadn't seen that coming. The vampire loved the girl they had found in Purgatory like a little sister, as did Dean. "Yeah. Yeah, I got the ingredients. Where are you?"

"_Carencro, Louisiana."_

"Carencro? Shit, that's like twelve hours or more!" Dean ran a hand back and forth through his short hair, the fact that he wasn't alone in the room completely forgotten. "Listen, I'll be there but Benny, don't let her anywhere near human blood. One taste and she's full vamp. I mean it, lock her up good coz pretty soon she won't be able to control herself no matter how hard she fights it."

"_Fightin' it ain't really where her mind's at right now,"_ the vampire drawled and Dean's worry grew even more. Nia must be pretty far into her bloodlust if she wasn't fighting against it anymore. He had to get there… and soon. The last thing he wanted to do was kill a vamped-out Nia. Benny may have had a chance at playing it straight but Nia's wild streak combined with vampire bloodlust – she would become a true monster and killing her would be the only option. And Dean really didn't think he could face that option right now. That girl was family. And Cas had loved her… if he let anything happen to her he would be letting down Cas more than anyone.

Then there was Benny. If he had done this – and it was pretty obvious he had because no other vamp would be able to get the drop on Nia and her Purgatory reflexes – then Dean would have to deal with it. Upon leaving Purgatory, they had an agreement that Benny would keep his nose clean and not hurt any innocents. Believing in Benny's ability to do just that was the only way Dean had justified bringing a vampire back and letting him live. He had even defended Benny to Sam.

"Just keep her locked down tight 'til I get there."

He ended the call and looked up to see Sam standing at the top of the steps watching him with suspicion.

"I gotta go," he said bluntly. "I'll be back in a day or two."

"Benny's turned someone." Sam's face was dark and he wasn't asking.

"No," was Dean's instant reaction, realizing belatedly it was too late for denials. He raised a hand to stop the impending argument. "I got this."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna take care of it."

"How, Dean?"

"I don't know, Sam! But I'll figure it out." With that he strode out of the room to gather the ingredients Nia needed.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Sam felt his blood boiling as he listened to Dean rummaging around in one of the storage rooms gathering the ingredients for the vampire cure. He had seen the color drain from his brother's face during the brief phone call and had heard the fear and hurt in his voice. More than anything, he didn't want to let Dean go off by himself to deal with this.

Dean was finally starting to pull himself out of the tense, amped-up state he had been in after Purgatory and Sam didn't want him slipping back into it by spending time with his Purgatory buddy - the undead, bloodsucking vampire who was apparently turning innocent women now. Dean would undoubtedly feel responsible for any innocents Benny hurt or killed since it was Dean who had brought him out of Purgatory. But Sam wasn't sure Dean would do what needed done. Even if he did, Sam didn't want Dean to have kill a close friend, one he claimed was like a brother to him. Dean didn't form that kind of friendship easily and had certainly seen enough blood in the past year to last ten lifetimes so Sam couldn't just stand idly by and let his brother deal with this on his own. If Benny needed beheading, Sam should take care of it.

He watched as Dean came back out of the room, duffel slung over his shoulder hand and tense expression on his face as he laced up his boots. He was in the Impala and gone inside of a minute, leaving Sam with a hard choice.

He glanced over at Lucas, who had stopped playing with his Lego and was standing next to one of the columns, clearly sensing the tension and watching him intently. He threw him a reassuring smile, knowing he should stay and get to know the son he had literally just found out he had but…

Sam grabbed his own duffel and when Jenna came out of the shower a few minutes later, he explained he had to go and that she and Tyler should just lay low in the bunker until the brothers got back.

Yes, he knew he needed to look after his son but that didn't mean he was going to abandon his brother in the process. Whatever happened in Louisiana, Sam needed to be there for Dean.

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**A/N:**__ Sorry about the wait on this chapter and hope it was worth the extra few days – it ended up being a long one and writing action always seems to be much faster and easier for me than chapters like this. Remember in this fic, Sam only met Benny once after Dean helped Benny out on Prentiss Island with Andrea. The episode Citizen Fang where Benny killed Martin in Louisiana never happened. Hope you are enjoying – as usual, leaving a review to let me know what you think is always appreciated and gives me a lot of encouragement :-)_


	5. Secrets and Ties

**A/N:**_I have kept somewhat in line with Benny's living situation from canon (the diner, Elizabeth...) but have changed quite a few things to suit my story (and include Nia). This next part will not follow the Episode 'Citizen Fang'. This was all one chapter but it was too long so I have split it into 2. I am almost finished the second so it will be up tomorrow at the latest if you would rather read them both at once._

_**Previously:**_

_Sam confronts Jenna about Lucas's real parentage and she admits he is the boy's father. Crowley said Quinn died in childbirth then gave Jenna the baby to look after so he could use it as leverage against Sam if needed. She and Tyler divulge what life was like for them at Crowley's and Sam is horrified to think his son has had that kind of childhood simply because he was Sam's. Dean is pissed that Jenna lied but forgives her when she apologizes sincerely and explains that she was fearful Sam would take Lucas away from her. _

_Dean then gets a desperate phone call from Benny looking for the vampire cure for Nia and he goes rushing off to help. Sam overhears Dean's side of the conversation and decides if Benny's turning people, he has to be dealt with but knows it will destroy Dean if he has to kill a friend so Sam follows him to Louisiana. _

___We also see Cas two weeks prior, still in Purgatory and desperate to get out in response to the prayer he heard from Nia. He tracks down a monster who has the ability to find his vessel's soul within him (Cas lost the connection with Jimmy after the Leviathan were inside him) and forces it to pull Jimmy to the surface. _

******~X~X~X~X~**

**Chapter 5 – Secrets and Ties**

Dean drove as fast as he dared but despite nearly doubling the speed limit on some stretches, he didn't pull into Carencro until after dark. He headed right for the diner Benny had described during a quick phone call for directions he had made around the Louisiana State border, a gumbo shack named Guidry's Cajun Café. Apparently Benny worked there and lived in a camper he had parked a little way into the woods out back. Dean eyed the rough, rutted track disappearing into the trees and decided to leave his baby in the parking lot and walk down.

He found the camper about five hundred yards in, nestled just off the trail among the trees. He could hear Nia's voice inside from thirty feet away and despite the distraught tone of her words, he inhaled sharply at the sound of it. God, he had missed her! He missed her and Benny and Cas and he missed the bond they had all shared in Purgatory. It had been them against everything down there and finding out that Sam hadn't bothered to look for him had made it even more vividly clear to Dean how completely the foursome had had each other's backs during it all. The trust and loyalty had been absolute. Things felt calmer and more optimistic now with Jenna keeping him company at nights and Tyler and Lucas around, especially since Lucas had turned out to be Sam's son, but a part of him still strangely longed for Purgatory's simplicity again.

This situation would never have happened in Purgatory. Benny had his blood lust under control. It must have been hitting him incredibly hard for him to have bitten Nia, but he must be losing it mentally for him to then feed her his own blood back. It seemed unlikely Nia had been targeted by some other random vampire and then somehow let her guard down enough to be turned. Nia _never_ let her guard down, even in the topside world. Dean had experienced that first hand when they had first come back through the gate together. His jaw clenched as he approached the camper door and he silently prayed (to Cas, he realized absently) that there was an explanation he could live with, like maybe Nia had been mortally wounded and Benny had to turn her to save her or... _something_.

He pounded his fist on the back door of the camper, the duffel with all but one of the ingredients slung over his left shoulder. Benny opened up a second later, relief written all over his face.

"'Bout time, brother."

The vampire stepped aside quickly, giving Dean a clear view inside. The camper was small, with a narrow fridge and stove console on the left and a table with two bench seats at the far end that clearly folded down into a bed at night. Nia was on one of the benches, hands and feet tied with dirty, yellow rope which also wound around the metal window frame between the camper and the truck's front cab, holding her securely in place.

"Dean!" she cried upon seeing his face, starting to struggle. "Dean, help me please! You gotta untie me."

Benny's face held an anguished look. "I hated trussin' her up like that but she's determined to feed and I couldn't get her to stay put."

It twisted Dean up in knots inside to see Nia tied up also. Knowing what she went through for a whole year as a prisoner of the vampire Luthor in Purgatory, he was certain the restraints were bringing back some very unpleasant memories for the young woman and the desperation in her voice was eating at him. He stepped into the crowded camper, head hunkered down to clear the low ceiling, and immediately made his way towards her.

Benny reached out to stop him. "Now hold on, Dean. Don't get any closer. You're human and she just needs one drop."

"I won't let…" Dean began but was cut off.

"This is Lil' Bit we're talking about here," Benny reminded him, using the pet name he had given Nia in Purgatory for her small size - she was barely five feet tall. "She's already got loose twice. Keep yer distance, just to be on the safe side."

The hunter stopped and swallowed hard, ignoring Nia's sudden burst of pleas to free her and assurances that she would never feed on Dean's blood, no matter what the circumstances. He would have believed her if he hadn't experienced the overwhelming hunger of a newly-turned vampire first-hand. He'd come really close to taking a taste of both Lisa and Ben.

He dumped the duffel on the counter and started pulling ingredients out. "What the Hell happened?" he asked, his voice gruff.

"I screwed up," Benny answered quietly. "I saw it comin', or I shoulda anyway, but things have been so screwed up these days and I guess I didn't realize it was as bad as it was." He looked at Nia, who was glaring angrily back at him. "This adjustin' thing's been harder than I woulda thought. For both of us."

Dean didn't reply, trying his hardest to ignore the turmoil in his mind about what he was going to do about this. If Benny was dangerous to innocents… "Let's just get her right again and we'll deal with things," he said tersely.

"No," exclaimed Nia. "I don't need cured, Dean. I won't kill anyone. Just a few drops and I'll be fine. A few drops and I won't have to feel this way anymore. Please, Dean, just untie me and go home to your brother."

"No can do, sweetheart," Dean told her as he started mixing the ingredients on the tiny counter.

"So you work at the diner and you live in here?" he asked Benny after a minute of heavy silence.

Benny grunted an 'uh-huh'.

"And what about you, Nee?" he asked, keeping his tone conversational. He knew from experience it would help, however minutely, to keep her mind off the intense hunger plaguing her right now. "Where do you stay?"

"With Benny," she answered flatly.

Dean arched an eyebrow. "In here? Kinda tight quarters no?"

"We've slept in smaller caves, the four of us," Nia argued.

It was then that it really sunk in to Dean that Nia hadn't yet moved past the Purgatory mind set. It had been four months and she was still thinking as she had there. He had thought he had it rough right now as he battled the anger and the tension constantly simmering inside and the hurt over Sam moving on so quickly but seeing his Purgatory friends suddenly put things in perspective. In reality, he was living it up in the luxury of the bunker, hunting with his brother at his side and now even finding comfort in Jenna's arms. All the while Benny and Nia had been struggling far worse than he had with nobody but each other for support and help.

Damnit, he hadn't been there for them.

"She sleeps in the front cab," Benny offered. "Likes it coz there's two doors - you know, two ways out. And she works the ice cream counter at the café. We tried lettin' her go a round as a waitress but she nearly killed the first idiot that pinched her back side. But Elizabeth's good people and she agreed to let Bit serve the ice cream for a couple of hours a day in the afternoons." He gave Dean a defeated shrug. "That way she's always got the counter 'tween her and the patrons."

Dean nodded but didn't say anything. He finished grinding up an awful-smelling root into a powder and scraped it into the bowl with everything else before turning around. "'Kay, Benny, all I need now is a dose of blood from you."

Benny, who had taken a seat on the bench opposite Nia, quirked an eyebrow. "You need vamp blood in a spell to counter the effects of vamp blood?" he queried, sounding skeptical. "That don't sound right."

Dean's expression remained blank but his mouth was set in a hard line. "You need the blood of the vamp that turned you."

Benny's face tightened in a look of surprise but he remained silent. Nia went wide-eyed but she managed to recover her voice far sooner than her vampire friend.

"Benny didn't do this!" she exclaimed defensively. "Don't blame Benny!"

Relief swept through Dean followed quickly by guilt for the accusation. He frowned at the vampire. "But you said you made a mistake... I thought..."

"Well, brother, I think it's pretty clear what you thought. Guess I shoulda expected that."

"I'm sorry," Dean said quickly. "I'm sorry, man, I shouldn't have assumed."

Benny raised a hand in a gesture of peace. "Nah, s'okay. S'pose I had that coming. I ain't exactly been the picture of confidence in our recent phone calls."

"Not really. But if it wasn't you..."

"I asked him to but he said no," Nia blurted.

"And I shoulda guessed she would just find some other vamp to do the deed," Benny added. "Then when Desmond came snooping around..."

Dean raised a hand, their words just sinking in. "Hold on a sec. Nee, you asked for this?"

Nia nodded.

"Why?" Dean knew the answer before the question had even come out of his mouth. "Shit. Cas."

She nodded again, her eyes growing sad. "If I'm vamp, I can go back there. All I have to do is get some hunter to chop off my head and I can see him again. See, Dean, you can help me. I want this."

Dean could hardly believe what he was hearing. He shook his head, crouching down on the floor in front of her seat to bring him to her eye level. "You don't want this."

"I do. I want to be with Cas. I don't belong here."

"Do you even remember Purgatory? How dangerous and violent it was? We wouldn't have lasted another month there, even with Cas watchin' our backs!"

"But I wouldn't be human this time," she countered, her voice barely a whisper. "I wouldn't be hunted like we were. I'd be stronger and I wouldn't get old. Cas and me, we could be together forever over there. It's perfect."

A hard swallow made its way down Dean's throat and his voice grew thick. "Wow, you've really thought this through, huh?"

She nodded.

"We don't even know if Cas is still alive," he pointed out.

"He's alive," she responded immediately without a trace of doubt in her tone.

"He was weak, passed out, there were a lot of monsters around..."

"He's alive."

Dean sighed. "Okay, let's say he survived and got out of that gully. Nia, do you really think he would want you back there? He loved you."

"Loves," she corrected quickly, referring to Cas in the present tense.

"Loves," Dean conceded. "But he loves the human you. You as a vampire, you'd be different. Cas wouldn't... _doesn't_ want you to change. He doesn't love a vampire, he loves a human."

"It's still me," she argued meekly.

"No it ain't, Bit," Benny interjected. "Even if you managed to rediscover your humanity eventually, there's a long way and a whole lotta blood 'tween now and then and the Nia that Cas loved would be long gone."

"And how do you think he would feel if you twisted your soul into a monster for his sake?" Dean pressed. "He already feels like he's got all his past mistakes to atone for; you think he'd come back from adding your soul's destruction to that list? That would do him in for sure."

Nia's eyelids were growing moist and Dean knew they were reaching her when she finally nodded. Mentioning Cas had brought her around before, on the occasions he had spoken to her on the phone when Benny had said she was feeling low or depressed, so he had been banking on the ploy working again this time. He had been witness to the bond that had grown between the angel and the wayward human girl and had not been blind to how deep it went and how complete it was. He knew the power of that kind of bond; that was the kind he shared with Sam. That was love.

He stood up and rubbed his left hand on the back of his neck. "Okay, so who's this Desmond? He the vamp who did this to you?"

"I reckon so," Benny answered when Nia remained silent. "He's a nasty cat, though. He knew me back in the day and came sniffing around asking if I'd start up a new nest with him, hopin' I'd bring him some street cred. When I said no, I thought he'd moved on but Lil' Bit disappeared the next mornin' after I told her 'bout him and showed up at the cafe a few hours later smellin' like vamp and eyeing the customers like apple pie."

"So where's this son of a bitch now?"

"He's gone," Nia answered, sounding almost triumphant. "He left town." The sadness was gone from her eyes and a feral look had taken over. She was suddenly looking Dean up and down and practically licking her lips and the hunter's heart lurched. It didn't matter that they had convinced her Cas wouldn't want this - the physical hunger for blood was controlling her now. She would go through bouts of bloodlust that would get worse and worse and worse until she either fed or they killed her. They didn't have much time.

Benny stood up. "I don't think he left. If he agreed to turn her instead of just feedin' on her, then he's still working that nest idea and he ain't leaving without his newest member, 'specially if he knows she's with me. I can track him down."

"I should come with." Dean reached into his duffel to grasp the hilt of the machete he had brought along in case Benny had been out of control. A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Nah, you best stay here," Benny pointed out. "Keep an eye on her. Just don't get too close and watch those knots. She's a wriggly little thing."

Dean frowned, seeing Benny's point but not liking having to split up. They had always worked as a team in Purgatory. "How bad's this vamp?"

Benny shrugged. "He ain't got fifty years of Purg fightin' under his belt. I can take him."

"What if he's got company?"

"Then I'll deal with them too."

Dean nodded in reluctant agreement, knowing that back topside, Benny was like UFC compared to the high school wrestling team league most regular vamps were in. Purgatory certainly had a way of sharpening one's skills and he'd been there a long time.

Nia did not like the decision. "No! Don't go!" she hissed loudly, her eyes wild and feral again. "Benny, you can't just leave me like this! Let me finish this!"

Benny bent down and kissed her forehead, sighing sadly when she pulled away and snarled at him. "I'm gonna make this right, darlin'."

She turned her anger to Dean as soon as Benny opened the door to leave. "I'm not drinking that stuff! You can't make me. Please, please just let me have a few drops of blood. You don't understand… I _need_ it! I won't kill anyone, I swear! I can drink blood from the blood bank. _Pleeease_ untie me!"

**~X~X~X~X~**

Sam lost over half an hour hitchhiking from the bunker into town and getting a car so he made sure to steal a fast one to make up for it. But even in a BMW, there was only so fast one could go without wrapping themselves around a tree or waving an 'arrest me' flag to law enforcement so it was dark when he reached Carencro. A town with a population of eight thousand or so, it was small enough he could probably spot the Impala but large enough that it could take some time to do so, especially in the dark and especially since Dean had thought to turn off his GPS about half way down here.

Sam drove the streets one by one, making his way north to south. It had been a long drive down and he had done a lot of thinking. Of course Lucas had been a constant in his mind but he had been thinking a lot about Dean. About Amy and how that whole debacle had gone down. Sam had considered her a friend and Dean, instead of arguing the point with Sam, had gone behind his back and killed her, hoping Sam never found out and spent the rest of his days believing she was behaving and living a normal, human life. Sam had been furious at the time but was starting to see Dean's side of things and the mercy Dean had shown him. Sam had been too close to see the truth. Amy had killed people and if her son ever got sick again, she would do it again. He saw that now. After Madison, maybe Sam's reluctance to be the one to kill her had been coloring his judgment.

And now Dean was in the same predicament. Sam had been shocked and even hurt by how fiercely Dean had defended Benny and how highly he had spoken of his vampire friend, but he hoped – no he _knew_ – that Dean would do the right thing, even if it killed him inside. Problem was, Sam didn't want Dean going through that. The memory of firing that bullet, seeing the blood splatter and the life leave Madison's eyes, would forever haunt him. Dean would be torn in two by his hunter's obligation to humanity and his loyalty to a friend and would forever punish himself for whatever route he chose to take.

He finally spotted the Impala in the parking lot of a Cajun diner on the east side of town and pulled his stolen car in a few spots over. A quick scan inside told him Dean wasn't there but a few smiles and innocent-sounding lies to the woman behind the counter revealed that Benny worked there but had taken the day off and could probably be found in his camper a few hundred yards into the woods out back.

Machete in hand, Sam crept slowly down the dark trail on foot. He spotted the light from the camper's window from fifty feet away and ducked behind a tree to recon the situation. He could see his brother inside, standing by the window and pressing at the back of his neck like he did when he was tense. He darted between trees until he was on the other side and was rewarded with a far more revealing view through the opposite window. There was a girl, maybe in her early twenties, who was sitting down with her hands tied in front of her, held up by a rope that Sam could see was wrapped around the cab window frame.

"_No! Don't go! Benny, you can't just leave me like this! Let me finish this!" _she was yelling, pulling at her restraints.

The door of the camper swung open. Sam ducked back into the trees and pressed himself up behind the trunk of one, hoping like Hell he was downwind and the vampire wouldn't smell him.

The girl's voice was louder and clearer now with the door open.

"I'm not drinking that stuff! You can't make me. Please, please just let me have a few drops of blood. You don't understand… I _need_ it! I won't kill anyone, I swear! I can drink blood from the blood bank. _Pleeease_ untie me!"

Benny stepped outside and turned to look up at Dean, who was silhouetted in the doorway. Even in the shadowed light of the camper, Sam could see his brother's face was drawn with tension.

"Thanks for comin' down here, brother, and bailin' me outta this mess," the vampire said to him.

Dean just nodded. "Hey, it's on me too. I shoulda done something long before it came to this. You be careful out there, 'kay?"

"Ain't I always?" Benny turned and started walking up the trail towards the diner, Dean's eyes on his back for a few lingering seconds.

Sam knew then his suspicions had been right. The girl had obviously been turned and was lusting for her first taste of blood. Dean was giving her the cure while, surprisingly, letting the vampire walk.

Well, Dean may feel he owed Benny something but Sam sure as Hell didn't. Sam had warned his brother that he may be the hunter who kills Benny if and when he slipped up. Looked like he'd been right about that.

He waited in the shadows until Dean finally shut the door and then made his way as quietly as he could back up the trail after the vampire.

He would show Dean the same courtesy Dean had shown him with Amy. He would get far enough away from the camper to do what needed done and leave his brother to live out his days in ignorant bliss. Dean deserved that much.

He was about half way back up the trail when he lost sight of the vampire. Squinting in the darkness, he felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle. He was the human in this equation; he knew he was at the disadvantage. Sam had no worries about being able to take on a single vampire – he'd faced more than that at a time before – but he had to grudgingly admit he wasn't at his best since completing the first trial. His head was pounding right now and he knew his reflexes were a fraction slower than they should be.

He remained motionless, straining his ears and his eyes for movement up ahead, his hand curled around the hilt of his machete. _Where the fuck was that vampire?_

His silent question was answered by a rustle of leaves behind him and he spun around only to be greeted with a fist in the face. He staggered backwards but didn't go down and immediately swung the machete in a smooth, neck-high arc in front of him. He knew he was in trouble the instant Benny leaned back and avoided the blade without so much as a flinch. He threw a fast punch while he readied his machete for another strike but the vampire avoided it just as easily.

_Fuck, this guy was good._

Sam found out just how good when the air was forced out of his lungs and he doubled over around a fist in his gut. The machete was knocked out of his hand before he could recover and the next blow that landed on his jaw sent him tumbling to the ground. The vampire was on top of him in a flash, extra teeth bared and an animalistic glint in his eyes. It all happened so quickly, Sam barely had time to regret underestimating his opponent before it was over. He felt fingers wrap around his neck while his hand fumbled for the dropped machete but Benny got to it first. The vampire raised it over his head, snarling as he prepared to strike before stopping suddenly, his eyes locking on Sam's and widening in recognition.

"Well, lookey what the cat dragged in," he drawled before his hand swung downwards. Sam barely registered that the machete was flipped backwards before the handle came in contact with the side of his head and everything went black.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Benny had been gone less than five minutes when three solid knocks sounded on the camper door. Dean jumped to his feet with his fingers wrapped around the handle of his Colt. He pulled the door open and barely made out Benny's face before he had to jump backwards to avoid the bulk of the body Benny was unloading from his shoulder and dropping onto the floor of the camper.

"This belong to you?" he heard Benny ask.

The body fell backwards through the doorway, face-up, and recognition sparked a jolt of panic through Dean. "Sam!" He dropped down to touch his brother, his fingers shakily finding their way to the pulse point on Sam's neck. He could make out a small patch of blood at Sam's hairline, just above his left ear. "Sam? Sammy?"

"He's fine," Benny assured him from where he was still standing outside. "Lil' bump is all."

Dean's panic subsided at the words, even before he felt a pulse. He let out a breath of relief and fisted his hands in Sam's jacket to drag him all the way inside. Benny bent the unconscious hunter's knees and pushed his feet in through the door.

"Told ya I wasn't scared of yer little brother," Benny snickered as he stepped up into the crowded camper. "Though 'little' wouldn't exactly be the word I'da used," he added, his chest still heaving. "Kid's freaking huge."

"What the Hell happened?" Dean demanded, not finding the situation amusing at all. _What was Sam even doing here?_

Benny shrugged unapologetically. "He was stalkin' me in the woods carryn' this." He dropped Sam's machete in the sink. "Good thing I recognized him 'fore I stuck him."

"That's your brother?" Nia asked, sounding curious as she climbed as far up onto the table as her restraints would allow to get a better view of the man on the floor. "He doesn't look much like you."

Sam let out a groan just then and his hand rose to press tenderly against the side of his head. By the time his eyelids fluttered open, Dean was leaning over him with a worried frown on his face. Sam waved him away, groaning again as he sat up in the narrow space on the floor.

His head was throbbing and it took a few very long seconds for his vision to clear. He found himself on the floor inside the crowded camper, Dean's arm outstretched to help him up. He took the offering but kept a wary eye fixed on the vampire who was lowering himself down into the bench seat at the far end. The girl was still tied up but was now crouched on the table, staring at him with her head tilted to the side and a curious expression on her face. As he stood up, his head hit the low ceiling with a loud thwack and she giggled.

Sam gave her an annoyed look and rubbed his head before turning to face his brother. He was greeted with a frown.

"What are you doing here, Sam?"

"What you should have done the second you got back topside."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Sam made an exasperated sound and gestured towards Nia. "He turned someone, Dean! You said if he slips up, he was fair game to hunters. Well, he slipped up!"

"No he didn't!" Dean raised his voice to match Sam's. "It wasn't him!"

Sam hesitated but only for a fraction of a second. "You expect me to believe that? Do _you_ actually believe that?"

"It's the truth." Dean glanced down at Sam's hand, which was grasping the edge of the counter just a few inches from where the handle of his machete was sticking out of the sink, no doubt intentionally placed. "Just ask Nia," he added, knowing already that Sam would need more than Benny's word.

Dean could tell Sam was still struggling to believe him so he turned to the girl who was still crouched on the table. "Nee, who did this to you?"

"Not Benny," she replied without hesitation. Her eyes were narrowed at Sam. "You touch him, I'll kill you."

Dean almost snickered at the way Sam's eyes widened with incredulity at the threat from the five-foot tall girl in ropes but instead he raised a hand. "Nobody's killing anybody except Desmond."

"Desmond?"

Dean nodded. "_He's_ the vamp who did this."

Benny spoke up. "Speakin' of Desmond, I gotta be goin'. We still need a pint of vein juice for the cure." He stood up but made no move towards the door since Sam was taking up the entire width of the narrow aisle.

"This time I'm goin' with you," Dean said quickly, snatching Sam's machete and giving his brother a nod. "You stay here with Nia and make sure she doesn't wriggle her way out of those ropes."

"Dean…" Benny began but Dean cut him off.

"He's capable, Benny," Dean defended his brother. "He can handle her."

Benny's mouth tightened and he threw Sam a distrustful look. Sam returned the glare but pressed himself flat against the counter to let the vampire squeeze past. He watched Benny step outside then made a grab for Dean's sleeve. "Where are you going?" he hissed. "I should come with you."

Dean shook his head. "Benny and me got this, Sam. It's just one vampire. I need you to look after Nee for me, 'kay?"

"I don't need looked after, Dean," Nia interjected.

Dean rolled his eyes at her and San couldn't help notice the smile on his brother's face was a fond one. "Just make sure she doesn't get loose," Dean instructed him.

"And stay back," Benny warned from outside. "She just needs one drop of blood and it's over and she's a feisty one."

Sam was distracted from coming up with his next argument by the vibe of familiarity he was getting here between his brother and both of the others. He had been told with no uncertainty, and rather hurtfully, how good of a friend Benny was to Dean but this girl? Who was she and why did Dean seem so close to her too?

His hesitation was all Dean needed to mistake for consent of the new plan and he gave Sam a slap on the shoulder before following Benny out. "Don't underestimate her," Dean said. "She's already squirmed her way outta those ropes. We'll be back soon as we get the sonofabitch that did this."

He closed the door with a thud, leaving a bewildered Sam standing in front of the sink. The hunter turned to face the girl, giving her an awkward smile. "So, uh, Nia, is it?"

**~X~X~X~X~**

**A/N: **_Next chap should be up tomorrow. reviews are always helpful and, of course, awesome :)_


	6. Glimpses of Purgatory

**Chapter 6 - Glimpses of Purgatory**

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**One week ago...**_

Castiel was getting more and more worried with each passing day. With the help of the Ba'ahwrain, he had regained his connection to Jimmy Novak but after being a prisoner inside his own body alongside hundreds of Leviathan, the unfortunate soul couldn't string together a coherent thought. Cas knew the door would not open for an angel, since it hadn't the last time, but he was fairly certain it would open for Jimmy if Cas removed himself from the human's body. He doubted he would be able to follow through by himself but Cas was following the only strategy he could come up with. He would separate himself from his vessel at the portal and then ask Jimmy to go through and contact Dean, who would stop Nia from carrying out the unthinkable plan she had spoken of three weeks ago. If she was turned vampire, there was nothing Cas could do to save her. And although he missed her dearly, he would rather die a thousand deaths than have her end up here to spend eternity as one of the monsters she hated.

He frowned to himself, wondering if "a thousand deaths" was an accurate quantification or simply the humanized angel being melodramatic. He decided on the former and picked up his pace. Without his full powers, he was unable to transfer Jimmy's insanity to himself like he had done with Sam, so he needed to find another option and fast.

There was only one creature that could heal a soul that was twisted and damaged from evil - a unicorn. Unicorns were dangerous. They were not the friendly, heavenly creatures of human mythology and they most certainly did not 'fart rainbows' as Dean had once joked. They were a fierce species would certainly not hesitate to kill any manner of creature if they felt threatened. Their horns were the source of their magic but in Cas's weakened state, the powerful blast of force that would be released if he cut one off would likely kill him where he stood. But their blood held potent healing powers for both body and soul, which was the main reason unicorns had been hunted and bled dry by the Pagan Gods, faeries, humans, demons, and most other creatures that had been around until there wasn't a single one left. They had been extinct on Earth for millennia. Their Even angels had not been above healing their brethren with the magic that ran through the unicorn's veins. If Cas could ingest enough, he was almost certain he could bring Jimmy some peace and clarity, even if only long enough to go through the door, find a phone, and call Dean.

If Jimmy was willing, of course. Meeting the angel Castiel had not been a fortunate event for the devout man or his family and Cas wasn't sure his angel status would sway the man anymore.

"Jimmy?" he ventured, speaking aloud unnecessarily.

"_I can't,"_ came a pained reply. _"It's not time."_

"Time for what?" Cas was unaware his head was tilted to the side as he walked.

_"We can offer you six full minutes of prime time airplay each week for less than a thousand dollars. It's a great deal!"_

Cas sighed. He hadn't yet been able to derive a single lucid thought from his inner companion.

_"Claire has skint her knee again. Do you have any Band-Aids?"_

"Never mind. I am sorry to have woken you."

Cas gazed across the expanse of wide, open grass before him, eyes searching. Unicorns possessed a magic that prevented them from being seen in the distance under most lighting conditions and with Cas's limited powers, he wasn't sure he would be immune to their trickery. He stood for an hour staring blankly ahead and was about to give up when he saw it. It was just a flicker in the distance, appearing with a deceptive multicolored shimmer around it, but Cas knew it was a unicorn. He started running.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Sam only got a few minutes of lucid answers before Nia's blood lust returned past the point that he could continue his conversation with her but it was long enough to uncover some startling information.

She had met Dean in Purgatory!

Four months his brother had been back and not once had he mentioned another human being there. One with whom he obviously shared a tight bond because when Sam asked why she didn't return to her family when she got back topside, she said bluntly that Benny, Dean, and Cas were her family now. It was, of course, followed up by another absurd threat to Sam's well-being if he tried to hurt Benny again, for which he found himself awkwardly apologizing.

He continued the small talk, trying to pry bits and pieces of Dean's past year out of her. As it turned out, she knew all about Sam, right down to how he would snore when he lay on his left but not on his right and that he had once been sneezed on by a Gerhuin Troll and had been cleaning snot out of his hair for a week but still refused to let their dad cut it.

"Dean told you all that?"

"Are you kidding? He talked about you the whole time," she said. "All day long. Sammy this and Sammy that and yap yap yap Sammy yap." Sam could tell she was trying to keep him distracted while she worked at the knots by her wrists but was eager for the insight so he kept a surreptitious eye on her ropes and let her talk.

"What else did he say about me?"

"He says you're the good brother," she continued. "Says he's proud of you. Says the way you turned out made up for any mistakes he made. Says he wishes he could have given you more growing up."

Sam swallowed, getting the sense that she was telling him the truth despite her attempt at deception with the ropes. He was touched that Dean would have spoken so flatteringly of him, though he realized he shouldn't be surprised. Sam had always been the center of Dean's universe, usually to the elder brother's detriment.

He was hurt, however, that Dean had spoken so openly of him to his Purgatory friends yet hadn't felt he could tell Sam anything about them. Not mentioning Benny was understandable and Dean had difficulty talking about things that were emotionally painful to him so Sam understood why he hadn't been able to discuss the details of Cas's fate. But Dean had obviously been very close to this girl yet had never mentioned her either.

Nia frowned from where she sat cross-legged on the table. "So he really never said anything to you about me at all?"

Sam shook his head. "Not a word."

"Hmph. Maybe that's because you abandoned him in Purg. Didn't even look for him."

A choked cough escaped the hunter at her bluntness. _This girl was worse than Cas for tact._

"Yeah, maybe it is," he said guiltily.

"He thought you would be worried about him."

"I was. I thought he was dead."

"He brought _you_ back from dead before."

Sam decided to change the subject. "So are you and Benny… together?" he asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him. The tiny, closet by the door held a couple of men's shirts that were likely Benny's alongside some smaller women's clothes that looked about her size. It seemed they both lived in here.

She scowled at him. "Not like you're thinking."

"Oh." A year in a land of monsters with only one human chick around? It seemed likely that his brother would have… "Were you and Dean…?"

"Gross."

Sam chuckled. Dean didn't usually get that reaction from women.

"Can I ask you something?" he ventured, taking advantage of the situation to try and get the truth about Cas. Dean had simply told him the angel 'didn't make it' and when Sam had asked if that meant their friend was dead, Dean had been vague and evasive. The pain in his brother's voice at the time had been clear so Sam had dropped the subject and several subsequent attempts to pursue the issue but he desperately wanted to know what happened. He too had considered Cas a friend. Heck, after everything they had been through together, he considered Cas family. Despite their differences, Cas was the only one Sam could really relate to on certain levels. The two of them had both made eerily parallel mistakes that almost ended the world yet they both soldiered on afterwards, struggling to make the situation right, atone for their sins, and to make it up to Dean. Cas had sacrificed his sanity by taking Sam's Hell memories from him and that selfless act of friendship had saved Sam's life. Sam needed to know what fate had befallen his friend and he wasn't getting the answers out of Dean.

Nia's voice grew softer and she told him Cas had stayed behind to fight some monsters who were attacking so that she and Dean could reach the door. Her hands were shaking as she spoke and Sam wasn't entirely sure it was from the blood lust. "I didn't want to go but Dean had promised and… and he did what Cas asked him to."

"So Cas isn't dead then?" Sam felt a huge relief, even though the logical part of his brain was telling him stuck for eternity in Purgatory might be worse than death. "He was alive when you went through the door?"

She nodded fervently. "Of course he's alive! He's an angel; he's too… beautiful to ever die." Her voice choked out and she stared at him unblinking for a few seconds before suddenly starting to tug at her ropes again, promising him that if he untied her, she could help Cas. Sam wasn't that naïve and he kept his distance.

By the end of their conversation, brought to a close when he wet a cloth and started cleaning the cut on the side of his head and inadvertently triggered her new vampire sense of smell with the coppery tang of fresh blood, Sam had come to the conclusion this girl wasn't entirely sane. She seemed innocent enough and maybe even kind of sweet but… odd. He supposed a year or two in Purgatory would do that to a person, even though he had yet to hear any details about what Purgatory was actually like since his brother wasn't sharing.

She wrestled the ropes and lunged at him more than once, her amber eyes filled with a frenzied thirst and Sam spent the next hour eyeing her restraints warily. He didn't want to have to move in to retie them because there was no way to get that close without getting rough enough to pin her down or gag her. She may be currently trying to eat him but she was still the innocent victim.

Dean and Benny finally made it back, Dean with a fresh cut on his neck and Benny with a flask of vampire blood. The camper was suddenly far too crowded again so Sam waited just outside the door while the elder Winchester added the blood to the liquid cure and held it to Nia's mouth. Sam watched as she shook her head, pressing her lips together and narrowing her eyes at Dean in adamant refusal. Dean crouched down in front of her and spoke gently for a few minutes, his voice too quiet for Sam to make out any words except one - "Cas." Dean's back was to the door but Sam could see Nia's expression gradually morph into one of sadness and she finally gave his brother a small nod before leaning forward to drink the foul liquid.

As soon as she swallowed the last of it, Dean reached for an empty pot on the stove and placed it in front of her just in time to catch the jet of puke that shot from her mouth. She retched and retched into the pot, her tied hands clutching her stomach and gasping for breaths between gut wrenching heaves. Sam watched silently as Dean held her hair out of the way and rubbed her shoulder gently while Benny spoke comforting words in his Louisiana drawl.

Sam suddenly felt like an outsider. There was a depth of friendship here that went far beyond 'we went through some shit together'. He remembered Dean's scathing words about Benny being more of a brother than Sam had ever been and a wave of jealousy shot through him. He hadn't believed it – like _really_ believed it – but he was staring at the truth of it right now. These three would do anything for each other and weren't afraid to show it. It had always been Dean's nature to keep the things most dear to him hidden the deepest inside and it hurt that he hadn't wanted to share these two friends with Sam.

Nia retched violently one last time before her eyelids fluttered closed and she passed out on the bench seat. Dean let out a deep breath and came outside to dump the pot while Benny moved to untie her.

"Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Nia, she's…" Dean was hesitant and he rubbed a hand down his chin. "She's going through a hard time and she needs somewhere… something more than Benny can give her right now. I know I have no right to put this on you, with Luke being there and all but…"

It dawned on Sam that his brother was asking permission to bring Nia back to the bunker with them. He was about to nod when the fact that his small, innocent and completely vulnerable son was there hit him and he hesitated. It struck him how different everything was now that he was a father.

"She's harmless, Sam. She won't put Luke in any danger. She's just messed up. She and Cas were… together, like the whole love thing and I promised him I would look out for her and… and I can't do that if she's so far away."

"Wait, love?" Sam interrupted. "Her and Cas? Like romatically?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. I know it's hard to picture but yeah, they were together."

"Wow. Cas had a girlfriend." Sam was trying to wrap his head around Cas and Nia. Cas and _anyone_, actually.

"She's a good person, Sam. And Luke's my nephew so she would die to protect him, I promise you. She won't bring any trouble. I'll keep her in line, I swear." He gave Sam a pleading look. "I promised Cas. It was the last thing he said to me."

Sam's mind was made up before Dean's voice hitched on his last sentence and he nodded. "Of course." His eyes flitted up into the light streaming out the camper door. "Just Nia though. I can't risk…"

Dean raised a hand to stop him. "I get it. Benny's not welcome."

"He's still a vampire," Sam justified.

"I wasn't askin'. Besides, Elizabeth, the owner of the diner up there, is Benny's great granddaughter so he wants to stick around and I don't know, reconnect with his family or something."

Benny appeared in the doorway with Dean's duffel, holding it open while he clumsily shoved in the few items of female clothing Sam had noticed in the closet earlier.

Dean took the bag from him. "That all she got?"

Benny chuckled. "That and her bow. She always did travel light."

Sam then found himself being delegated the task of carrying the girl back up the path through the woods to the Impala. She was pretty tiny so lifting her was easy but he kept stumbling over roots in the dark as he walked slowly ahead, giving his brother a chance to say a private goodbye to Benny.

He heard a laugh and the slapping sounds of a 'bro hug' and gritted his teeth, still unable to lay his faith in Dean's misguided assurances and give the friendship his blessing. Benny may have been innocent in Nia's plight but it was just a matter of time. It grated at him that Dean, black-and-white 'monsters are monsters' _Dean_, was trusting a vampire so completely.

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**One week ago...**_

Cas was panting and bleeding by the time he got the upper hand. Like the dragon, the unicorn's magic had resisted his smiting abilities and a physical fight had been difficult against a larger, near-tireless creature. He had weakened it through numerous blasts of his angel mojo and his blade had pierced its thick hide in several places but it continued to batter him bloody with all four of its hooves and its teeth. Finally, just as he felt the impact of being kicked in the chest by its hind legs for the sixth time, he managed to swing his dagger up in a tight arc in front of him and it sliced cleanly through the unicorn's leg.

It screamed and tumbled to the ground, writhing in agony. Despite the pain he was in, Cas moved quickly, dragging his battered body over and climbing on top of the beast. He was unable to hold it still but he did manage to cut a deep slice in its flank and cling to it while he drank straight from the source. Being a creature with healing powers, it was able to heal itself quickly but Cas swallowed several large mouthfuls of blood before it dislodged him. He could see its hoof already starting to regrow on the end of the stump but apparently the unicorn had decided he was not worth more trouble and limped away as quickly as it could. Cas picked up the lobbed-off foot and sucked it dry of its blood also.

His face and clothes streaked with blood and dirt, he stood still and closed his eyes. He hoped he had ingested enough because he wasn't sure if he would last another round. He could feel a strange sensation inside him, sweeping up and down in waves. It was making him feel dizzy and he began to worry the unicorn blood was having an adverse effect on him. Then everything went black and the last thing he felt was his body dropping to the ground.

**~X~X~X~X~**

They drove in heavy silence to the Louisiana border before Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat and gave Sam a quick, sideways glance.

"You alright?" he asked.

San touched a finger to the healing cut on his head and shrugged. "Yeah, I'll be fine. He didn't hit anything vital."

Dean made a snorting sound and Sam huffed, irritated. "It could have happened to anyone," he defended, thinking Dean was about to chastise him for being taken out so quickly.

"You know, if it was anyone but Benny, I woulda argued with you on that one. But I was talkin' about what these trials are doin' to you."

"I'm fine, Dean. Its just a cough."

Dean gave him a annoyed glare. "It's not just a cough and you know it! Don't even try to lie to me about that kind of shit, Sam. I held your hand and spoon fed you chicken friggin' soup so many times when we were kids - I know you. You can't fool me when it comes to that kind of crap. I know you're not a hundred percent so just quit tryin' to hide it, would you?"

Sam clenched his jaw stubbornly but didn't argue.

"As for Benny, he's been fighting twenty-four seven in Purgatory for fifty years. He could take _me_ out. I'm pissed you went after him but not surprised he took you down."

Again Sam held his tongue. He wasn't ready to change his mind and Dean wasn't going to give up his friend until some innocent lost their life, that much was clear. They would be better off just agreeing to disagree on that matter. He peered backwards into the seat behind them where Nia lay. "Why did you never tell me about her?" he blurted. "Benny I get, that's obvious, but why not tell me about Nia? About anything in Purgatory, in fact."

Dean made a sharp snorting sound. "Yeah, coz you've been Mr. Share about your year with Dr. Doolittle."

Sam's mouth tightened. "Her name was Amelia and I didn't think you'd want to hear about her considering what you were going through at the time."

"Well you're right. I didn't."

"Well I did."

Dean looked confused. "Did what?"

"I wanted to hear about what you went through," Sam sighed. "I mean, some of it at least. You've been having a hard time since you got back and –" he raised a finger in the air to stop his brother form interrupting, "-no, don't even try to deny that, Dean. I spend every day with you. You can see that I'm not feeling the best after the trials and I can see you're messed up since Purgatory. I just wanted you to talk to me but as usual…"

A groan sounded from the driver's side. "If you don't know that's the way I am by now…"

"But I do! I do know, Dean. I know you bottle things up inside until it hurts. I know you take blame for everything and you let guilt eat at you until it almost cripples you. I know you give and give and give but you refuse to just once, worry about yourself. I try so hard to give something back to you - to help you, to talk to you - but you know what? It's exhausting. And I can't keep trying and not getting anywhere. I don't want to have to give up on happiness for myself because you refuse to let any come your way. I mean, you choose to stay in this life – hunting - because you don't think you deserve anything else... but you're wrong."

"No, I choose this life because I'm good at it."

Sam wasn't sure how they had come back to this argument again. "Good enough we're going to close the gates of Hell and then that's it," he rebutted. "Then it's over for me. That's my final contribution. I know I can have something better because for a while there, I did. And now that I have Luke…"

Dean was nodding. "You're right. You should get out," he said sincerely. "I won't drag you back in again."

"You're missing the point," Sam said on the tail end of a sigh. "We just keep spinning in circles. I can't get through to you." He gave his brother a hard stare. "What about Jenna?"

"What about her?" Dean's eyes never shifted from the road ahead.

"You seem happy with her. She wants out of this life. Don't you think you could maybe want that with her?"

"I dunno, Sam." The anger had left Dean's voice and he sounded tired. "I've tried it. It didn't work for me. I was half a person for the year I spent with Lisa."

"And you think _hunting_ made you whole again?" Sam didn't hide his skepticism.

"No, you did that," was Dean's blunt reply. "You came back. You were a soulless dick for a while there, but I felt like I was alive again when we got back on the road together. And then Purgatory… after everything we lost the year before, things made sense there. _**I **_ made sense there. I didn't have to choose between one thing or another because there was only one thing. There was surviving. Simple."

Sam took it all in, trying to understand what his brother was feeling from the bits and pieces he was letting slip out.

"There has to be more than surviving for me, Dean. I can't live out my life that way. I'm sorry."

There was a long silence before Dean spoke. "So do we hug it out and braid each other's hair now?"

Sam shook his head, realizing once again what should have been a productive conversation had just spun in Dean-diverted circles and Sam had accomplished nothing in his efforts to help Dean find some peace.

"It wasn't that I didn't look for you," he said slowly, determined to resolve _something_ at least.

Dean's fingers tensed noticeably around the steering wheel. This was still a sore subject.

"I was there," Sam continued. "There was nothing left in that room but black Dick splatter everywhere. I thought he'd exploded and taken you and Cas out with him. The cops showed up and I barely got out of the building and they scoured the place and never found anyone. I thought… I thought you were dead. I know you don't want to hear this because you want to stay pissed at me and I feel guilty even trying to make excuses for myself but Dean… I am so sorry. If I had known you weren't dead…"

Dean kept silent so Sam kept going. He had been wanting to explain and defend himself for a while now but Dean never seemed to want to hear it and Sam's guilt had kept him from pushing.

"You have to know that I would have found a way, done _anything_, to get you out if I knew you were in Purgatory. I can't believe after everything we've been through that you don't believe that, I just can't. I honest to God thought you were dead and in Heaven and I didn't want to stir that pot again because we both know how much worse things can be than just dead so… so I let it be. I was dead and empty inside and I hurt every second of every day but Dean, I kept going. I drove, I ate, I slept, and that was it. Then I hit a dog and…" Sam looked away, out his side window into the darkness. "Amelia saved me. I can't even describe how much she helped me – maybe sorta how Lisa helped you – but the fact was I thought you were dead and I moved on and I can't apologize for that anymore."

Dean kept his eyes trained on the black strip of highway ahead of them, his shoulders stiff and mouth tight. "Okay," he said finally. "Apology accepted."

And Sam knew finally, this time, it was.

**~X~X~X~X~**


	7. Too Good to Last

_**Previously**__: Sam follows Dean to Louisiana. He attacks Benny but Benny gets the better of him and he discovers Benny hadn't turned anyone. Sam is shocked (and hurt) to discover that Dean had met Nia, a human, in Purgatory too and that he hadn't mentioned her to Sam even though it was obvious that he is very close to her. He is also surprised to find out that she and Cas were in love and that she tried to get herself turned so she could die and go back to Purgatory to be with Cas. They cure her and when Dean asks, Sam agrees to let Nia come stay at the bunker with them (but not Benny). He and Dean head back._

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Chapter 7 – Too Good to Last**

It was after nine o'clock the next morning before Sam steered the Impala up the small lane in front of the bunker and parked her outside. Dean was snoring lightly in the passenger seat and Nia, although awake, hadn't said but a few whispered words to Dean since she had woken up.

"Dude, we're here," Sam said, giving his brother a slap on the shoulder before getting out of the car. He moved to the trunk, shouldered the weapons duffel, and headed straight inside, leaving Dean and Nia alone at the car.

Dean rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before clambering out and stretching with a loud groan. Nia slipped out of the back seat to stand next to him.

"You ready to see the batcave?" he grinned. "It's awesome."

She didn't look particularly enthusiastic and glanced warily up at the large concrete building above the entrance.

"That's abandoned," Dean explained. "Part of the deception, I figure. The bunker is underneath it. Completely underground and totally hidden. It's kinda retro but it's tricked out like you wouldn't believe." He ushered her forward. "Come on, you're gonna love it."

"You sure they'll want me here?"

"Of course." Dean stopped and turned her by the shoulders to face him. "Look, I know you don't know the people here but you can trust them."

"You sure?" Her expression was more than skeptical.

"Course I'm sure."

"You were sure about Emma and she shot me."

The hunter's mouth pulled into a tight grimace at the mention of his daughter. "Yeah, you're right there," he admitted. "But Emma wasn't human. Sam's my brother. I've known him since he was born and I trust him with my life… with _your_ life He would never hurt you, I promise."

He gave her a hard look. "And I'm kinda trusting you not to hurt him either here," he pointed out. Nia was deceptively dangerous and more than a little unpredictable. "Sam's my family and since you are too in a way that makes him your family. Same goes for his son and our friends. 'Kay?"

She finally nodded and tucked in behind him as they headed for the door. Dean frowned when he stepped inside and was greeted with loud music from below echoing off the concrete walls. _What the Hell? Was that Bon Jovi?_

He and Nia descended the narrow flight of stairs that led to the inner door to see it open and Sam standing on the balcony, looking down over the railing into the main room. Dean came up beside his brother and his face split into a wide grin at the sight below.

Lucas and Tyler were on top of the map table, which was somehow flashing its lights erratically like a dance club floor. Lucas had his hands in the air and was shaking his little butt like a maniac as he jumped up and down, his giggles barely audible between beats of the loud music. Tyler was standing next to him, playing air guitar rather emphatically to Bon Jovi's _I'd Die for You_. Jenna was on the floor next to them, dancing wildly also.

"HEY!" Dean bellowed over the blaring music. "There's a rule against Bon Jovi in this house!"

The three oblivious dancers below jumped at the sound of his voice. Lucas, in fact, let out a high-pitch squeal of fright and practically flew off the table into Jenna's arms. Tyler spun around, mouth agape and looking embarrassed as all Hell.

Sam hurried down the stairs and hit the bottom just as Tyler reached the iPod and the room went abruptly silent in the wake of the loud music. Jenna was putting Lucas back down, assuring him everything was fine and nobody was going to get in trouble. Sam rushed over to the pair but slowed his step as he approached, forcing a calm smile onto his face to reassure his son.

It hit him again how troubled Lucas's life had been to this point. Sam had been enjoying the scene he had been greeted with upon entry, watching Lucas laughing and dancing, and had felt his heart swelling in his chest with warm, fuzzy feelings of love and hope. Then, a split second later he was slapped with the harsh reality of a child stuck in the hunting life, where fear could strike at the drop of a dime. He felt a renewed sense of urgency to complete the tablet trials and put hunting and demons behind him – behind _them_.

"It's just us, little buddy," he said soothingly, dropping to one knee where Lucas was clinging to Jenna's leg. "You're allowed to make as much noise as you want here, remember?"

Jenna smiled at Sam and nudged Lucas towards him. "Luke loves to dance," she said with a wink. "You gonna show your daddy some of your moves, Bullet?"

Thankfully, Lucas seemed to get over his fright quickly once he realized who had come in and he grinned at Sam. "The table is lighted," he said, pointing excitedly to the still-flashing map table.

"I see that. Pretty cool." Sam smiled back. He held out his hand to the five-year old. "Wanna show me?"

Luke grabbed Sam's hand and dragged him over to the table, reaching up into the air as an indication he wanted lifted back on top of it. Sam gladly obliged.

Dean had a sheepish look on his face as he hit the bottom of the stairs. "Sorry if I startled him," he apologized to Jenna. "I wasn't thinking."

Jenna laughed. "It's alright. It's easy to forget sometimes, especially when he's doing so well. We try to open him up, show him it's okay now to be loud and have fun. He loves to dance."

"To Bon Jovi?" Dean smirked.

"Luke loves Bon Jovi," Jenna informed him. "They're his favorite."

"Hear that Sammy?" Dean called out. "Your son loves to dance. _To Bon Jovi._"

Sam rolled his eyes at the teasing tone in his brother's voice. "He's five, Dean."

"He likes One Direction and Maroon Five too," Jenna added.

Dean's grin grew wider. "Oh this just keeps getting better and better."

Tyler stepped up to Dean and nudged his arm. "Dude, who's the hottie?" he asked in a hushed voice, his eyes turned upwards to where Nia was still watching them from the balcony.

"Don't even think about it, kid," Dean snorted, beckoning for Nia to come down and join them. "This is Nia," he introduced. "She's gonna be staying with us for a while. Nia, this is Jenna, Tyler, and the little dancing machine there is Sam's son, Luke."

"Staying with us?" Jenna raised an eyebrow and Dean caught the nervous glance she threw Lucas's way. Tyler, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear.

"Yeah, she's human, no worries there, and she's a good friend of mine," Dean elaborated. He looked down at Nia. "We can clear you out another room, Nee. This place is huge - plenty to pick from."

Nia gave him a nervous look, scrunching up her face as she looked around at all the people. "Can't I just stick with you?"

"Uh, that's not really…uh, appropriate now." In Purgatory, Nia had slept next to Cas whenever possible but had often curled up with either Dean or Benny for warmth when the angel was on watch outside their camp. "Things are different topside. You know how it is."

She frowned. "I don't care what people think."

Dean shifted uncomfortably. "Well, see, the thing is, Jenna here spends the night in my room sometimes. It might get a little, you know… crowded."

Nia's frown grew more intense and she fired a look at Jenna that had the blonde taking a step backwards. "Where would my room be?" she asked finally, turning back to Dean.

Dean waved a hand in the air. "Take your pick. Go explore."

"I'll show you around," Tyler offered eagerly.

Nia narrowed her eyes at the younger man but Dean gave her a gentle shove in his direction for encouragement and she eventually followed Tyler up the few steps into the work room, watching him warily as he pointed to things and described them.

"This is the dining room slash work room," Dean heard Tyler say. "Sam gets pissy if you leave food spills on the table coz he's on his laptop like all the time so I would advise against it. Oh, and Dean's a total Nazi in the kitchen so steer clear if he's in there, trust me. And this is the telescope. It's like NASA-grade or something, there's a kick ass view of Saturn this time of year."

Jenna drew Dean's attention off the young pair with a friendly slap on the chest. He looked down to see her arching one eyebrow at him in question. "That was some look she gave me," she said, chuckling nervously. "Am I gonna have to watch my back?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Nah, it's not like that. She's got some trust issues is all. She'll settle in."

"How'd you get the table to flash?" Sam asked, coming over to join them with Lucas clinging to his shoulders in a piggy-back ride.

Jenna shrugged. "No idea. Ty put a strobe thingy that he found in a Christmas decoration box inside there where all the wires are and got it going like that."

"Well, I told Lucas we could eat supper in here tonight with the table flashing," Sam grinned. "Hope nobody minds."

"Hey! I'm supposed to be the fun uncle!" Dean griped, feigning annoyance to hide the freaking pile of mush his insides were turning into at seeing Sam loosening up and getting enjoyment from being a father. "You're supposed to be the uptight, boring dad, remember? That's just how it goes. Don't mess with the natural order, Sam."

Sam just rolled his eyes and headed down the hallway, Lucas giggling in his ear.

"You know," Jenna said when she and Dean had the room to themselves, "Nia could always have my bedroom. I'm not exactly using it."

Dean's eyes shot open involuntarily.

"Or not," she retracted quickly. "We can leave things how they are and clear out another room tomorr…"

"She can have it," Dean interrupted, surprising himself. "I mean, you spend every night in my room anyway… s'pose it could be _our_ room."

She beamed up at him and Dean was moved by the way her eyes danced with excitement. "_Our_ room," she repeated slowly. "Wow. This is a first for me. Ty not included, of course."

Dean bent down to kiss her on impulse. It wasn't a first for him since he and Lisa had shared a room but it was the first time it felt natural and… right. It was the first time he had found himself in a relationship where he didn't have to pretend to be someone else. He didn't have to hide part of his life or deny part of who he was. Everything was above board and honest and it felt so real.

And you know what? He kind of liked it.

**~X~X~X~X~**

As promised, supper was eaten at the map table, flashing lights and all. It was extremely distracting and annoying as Hell but the five-year-old's giggles more than made up for it. Nia remained quiet, picking at her food as she watched everyone intently from her seat between Dean and Tyler. She hadn't said much since she had arrived but in all honesty, Dean was just relieved she hadn't flipped out or gone ballistic on anyone.

Jenna had moved what little stuff she had from her room to Dean's and while the Winchesters had taken a quick nap after driving all night, she and Tyler had emptied out the room they had promised Lucas, crowding all the Men of Letters boxes and archives into another of the many storage rooms.

Since Sam had promised his son a Thor poster and was clearly determined not to ever fall short on a promise, he went to town after supper to find one as well as buy a new bed for Lucas. He took Jenna with him so she could pick up some things of her own at the store, which Dean thought a little odd because she had disappeared for half the day just two days ago claiming she was taking care of 'chick stuff'. He and Tyler stayed behind, watching TV with Lucas.

Tyler looked around with a frown. "Where's Nia?"

Dean shrugged. "There's only one door so she's in here somewhere. She'll keep to herself 'til she gets to know everyone."

"You should see her with that bow of hers. She got like four bullseyes in a row in the shooting range. Dude, she's awesome."

"Yeah," Dean chuckled. "She picked up some skills in Purgatory."

"I asked her to teach me how to use it but she didn't really give me an answer."

"Probably not a good idea," Dean said, remembering the mess Nia had made of some poor guy's face when they had gone to a bar to hustle some cash after they had popped out of the Purgatory door in Maine. All the guy had done was touch her shoulder but as a result of the Hellish year of abuse she had endured as a prisoner in a Purgatory vampire nest, Nia didn't take well to unwanted physical contact. That had been just a few days after they had returned from Purgatory but in the four months since, she didn't seem to have progressed all that much in terms of adjusting back into civilization.

Dean's expression turned serious. "Listen, don't touch her, 'kay?"

Tyler rolled his eyes. "What are you, her dad?"

"I don't mean sleep with her, smart ass, I mean _touch_ her. At all. It wouldn't end well for you."

"I think I can handle a girl half my size, Dean," Tyler scoffed. "I'm not seventeen anymore, you know."

"No seriously, be careful. She's a bit wild okay? She's…" Dean scrambled to think of the best way to describe Nia, "…she's Purgatory."

"I thought that handmade weapon you showed me was 'Purgatory'."

"They're the same thing," Dean warned gravely.

"Cute and deadly?" Tyler gave him an insolent grin. "Sweet."

Dean groaned, realizing he should have seen this coming. Tyler had been striking up one-sided conversations with Nia all day despite her abrupt, evasive, and even rude answers to his questions. "Kid, didn't I tell you not to even think about it?"

Tyler rolled his eyes again. "I get it, Dean. She's a friend of yours. But she could do worse. I'm not a bad guy. Empath, remember? Jenna always says I'm the only guy on the planet who has a hope in Hell of avoiding being a clueless dick when it comes to chicks. I wouldn't hurt Nia."

The hunter laughed, slapping the younger man on the back as he rose to head to the kitchen for a beer. "It's not her getting hurt I was worried about; it's you. And by 'hurt', I'm talking 'ripped off limbs' not 'broken heart'. Just steer clear coz she may be cute but she's trouble with a capital T. Trust me on that one."

His warning clearly fell on deaf ears because when he returned with two beers, Tyler was up on the balcony trying to convince a scowling Nia to go for a ride on his motorcycle with him. Dean couldn't help but be impressed with the kid's determination but really didn't see this turning out well.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Tyler was still trying four days later. The young man was both persistent and blatantly smitten. But, to Dean's surprise, he hadn't lost any limbs yet and was actually getting civil replies and even the occasional smile out of their newest houseguest. She still heavily favored Dean but considering it had taken her weeks to warm up to anyone but Cas in Purgatory, Dean was impressed with Tyler's progress and decided not to discourage it. If anyone could handle a crazy girl with serious PTSD, it would be an empath with demon blood and a psychic history, right? And they were pretty much the same age, after all, Tyler being twenty-three to Nia's twenty-four or so. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if something came of it.

Sam, on the other hand, was spending a lot of time with Lucas. He wasn't taking over the parental duties just yet, that would happen more gradually, but he was constantly playing games with him and going for walks with him to get the boy used to his company and build up familiarity. Watching them together and seeing Sam's smile was doing some serious tugging on Dean's heartstrings. So much so that part of him wanted to go find a dangerous hunt just to keep him from turning into a frigging chick.

He could tell, however, that Sam still wasn't feeling a hundred percent even though he was covering well enough for nobody but Dean to notice. The aftereffects of the first trial were wearing on his little brother - and that was wearing on Dean.

Then there was that Purgatory battle-itch that still needed scratched. All this hanging around was making him antsy. Despite the number of people around and the still-fresh joys of the bunker's many amenities, Dean was starting to feel restless. There was only so much sorting, cataloging, and snooping through boxes that he could do without climbing the walls. That was definitely Sam's gig. He needed to be hunting – doing something, fighting something, quelling that Purgatory-induced edginess that hadn't quite disappeared in the short months he'd been back.

It didn't help that they were only one trial down and still had the other two looming ahead of them. Patience and waiting around were not Dean's strongest attributes.

Kevin's call, therefore, was greeted with a hissed "Yessss!" as he snatched up Sam's phone from the table to answer it.

"Talk to me, Kev."

"Sam?"

The teen sounded wary and Dean cringed inwardly just a little, remembering it hadn't been all that long ago he had almost stabbed Mrs. Tran in an attempt to gank Crowley. Kevin seemed to have moved past it for the most part but he still clearly favored Sam.

"No, you got Dean."

"Oh." The prophet immediately blurted a nervous-sounding apology before admitting that he had made a mistake in his last interpretation of the tablet. Apparently, the Bow of Bargaest was supposed to help with the first trial, not the second. Turned out the weapon was one of the few things that could kill a Hell Hound.

Dean was about to bitch that it might have been good to know _before_ they tackled one with nothing but a six inch blade but Kevin quickly added that he had interpreted another part of the tablet and Dean's snarky comment was swallowed in an excited grunt.

"Well?" the hunter urged impatiently. "Don't keep me waitin' here, dude. You got the next trial figured out?"

"Not exactly."

The hunter actually growled into the phone.

"But I figured out a pretty important chunk of it. It basically translates as 'Three trials will test three facets of the contender'. The first part has words that refer to physical strength and skill in battle, which was obviously the first trial where you fight a Hell Hound."

"Which would have been easier with a friggin' magic bow." Dean couldn't help himself.

"This isn't easy, you know" Kevin defended. "God or Metatron or whoever seems to write these things intentionally cryptic. It's almost like the message is deliberately left open to interpretation, like its meaning changes depending on who's reading it and when."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe nothing. So back to the bit I figured out... I translated a couple of symbols to be strength of mind and wisdom. I think the second trial tests the contender mentally."

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "A mental challenge?" _Did this mean no physical danger to Sam?_ "Geek Boy Sam will ace that one!"

Kevin didn't sound overly confident in his reply. "Not sure though, I'm still working on the particulars."

"Okay, so what does the third trial test?"

"Only translation I can come up with so far for any of the symbols in that part is will."

"Will?"

"Yeah, as in how bad do you want it? Maybe it's an endurance thing."

"Crap. That doesn't sound good."

"Can't be worse than killing a Hell Hound though right?"

Dean didn't answer. "That all you got?"

"No, I have another aide."

"Aide?"

"Yeah, like the bow. Another helpful tip." There was a pause. "You know, kind of like on _Who Wants to Be a Millionaire_ where the person gets three lifelines. A little extra help. Only I think there are just two on here, one for the first trial and one for the second."

_God was giving them bonus clues?_ Oh well, if it gave Sam a better chance of coming through these things alive, Dean would take all the help he could get. "Okay, Regis, what's the second lifeline?"

"It's a key."

**~X~X~X~X~**

Lucas was heading to bed when Dean hung up the phone and since Sam was taking his first turn at reading his son his bedtime story, Dean waited until he was done and back in the living room before sharing what Kevin had deciphered.

"So this means I can keep the Bow?" Jenna perked up at the first bit of information, relief showing in her face. "Now that you don't need it."

Dean laughed. "Don't seem so surprised; of course you can keep it. We weren't exactly gonna gank you for it!" The bow only worked for the person who had killed its previous owner so with Jenna being the current owner, use of the bow by Sam for the trials had already been ruled out.

He continued his explanation of what Kevin had translated.

"Gamigin's Key? That's all he got?" Tyler didn't look impressed. "Nothing about what it is or where we can find it?"

Sam shrugged as he stood up. "The tablet isn't big on the details. We found out most of what we needed to know about the last clue, the Bow, from the Men of Letters' archives. I'm thinking we'll find something on this key here in the bunker too."

Dean groaned out loud. "That means it's research time." He turned to his brother. "Got any idea where to start Mr. Dewey Decimal?"

Sam had spent much of his time since arriving in the bunker going through the books and the vast wealth of information contained there, trying to organize and electronically catalogue it. His efforts had slowed since the discovery that Lucas was his son, but Dean was hopeful he would at least have an idea which boxes of files to start with. Otherwise this could take days or even weeks.

His brother's passion for knowledge and OCD-like organizational skills came through for the Winchesters again and by midnight the following night, the five of them had found several references to Gamigin's key in various texts.

They discovered that Lucifer had crypts, dozens of them all over the globe. Not much was known about what they had been used for, but there was only one ever referred to by a name - Opscaeles. As far as the hunters could figure out, the word meant something along the lines of Celestial Power, so since it was Lucifer's crypt, that wasn't much to go on. They found nothing on the crypt's location, but Gamigin's Key was definitely the only way to get in. The Men of Letters suspected the demon Gamigin still held the key.

"So we find Gamigin and we find the key!" Jenna said, sounding excited.

Sam leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face with both hands. "Yeah but we have no way of finding Gamigin." He sighed tiredly. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"I do," Dean offered, sounding almost eager. "We start nabbing demons and making 'em talk. Eventually we gotta find one that knows something."

Sam couldn't help but remember trying the same tactic on more than one occasion, such as when they were trying to find a way out of Dean's deal, and knew it was a long shot. He was debating the wisdom of pointing out that Crowley himself was their best bet when he noticed Jenna giving Tyler a weird look. Weird in a secretive, 'you-know-what-I'm-talking-about' way. Jenna headed off to the washroom a few seconds later and within a minute, Tyler slipped away and disappeared down the hallway too.

He glanced at Dean, curious to see if he had thought their behavior strange also but his brother was grinning at Nia, nodding in agreement with something she had just murmured about torturing demons.

Tyler and Jenna came back together a good ten minutes later. Tyler frowned as he sat down and rubbed his chin.

"You know, I think I remember Crowley mentioning Gamigin once," he said slowly.

Dean's head spun around, eyes wide. "What'd he say?"

"He stays in an old convent on the edge of Beatty, Nevada. Northwest of Vegas near where Death Valley starts."

Tyler was a likeable guy but a terrible liar. Sam narrowed his eyes. "That's pretty specific."

Even Dean looked skeptical. "Yeah, what gives?"

Tyler shrugged. "That's what I remember."

"It makes sense," Jenna cut in. "If anyone would have access to Lucifer's crypts, it's the King of Hell. The demon with the key would have to work for Crowley or else he'd be long dead. We were there for four years, you know. We overheard lots of shit."

She sounded a little defensive, which Sam figured could stem from the protectiveness she often expressed towards Tyler, a sentiment which was clearly returned in full. These two had been through a lot together and like he and Dean, had an unusually close bond from living in each other's back pockets for a long time. It made sense that there were some things they hadn't shared with the brothers yet and he had to admit, they were probably justified in doing so. There was a lot he and Dean hadn't told them. He began to doubt the validity of his earlier suspicions.

Dean seemed convinced. "Right now it's the only lead we got so let's see if we can find a convent in Beatty."

He reached for Sam's laptop but Sam batted his hand away, already typing. It only took him fifteen minutes to find an empty warehouse that was reportedly built over a convent that pre-dated both Beatty and Las Vegas. An odd place to have a warehouse but perhaps that would explain why it was empty.

Sam noticed the studious look his brother was giving him. Well aware of the dark lines beneath his eyes the after-effects of the trial had left him with, he wasn't surprised by Dean's next comment.

"Get some shut-eye, Sam. It's not going anywhere tonight. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Sam nodded in agreement and the mood was heavy as the group called it a night and dispersed. Fifteen minutes later, as Sam came out of the washroom to head to his room, he found Dean waiting in the hall right outside.

"There're two bathrooms, you know," Sam grinned sheepishly, dreading the remark his tactless big brother was going to make when he stepped into the washroom and got hit with whatever smell was lingering there. Thirty years in motel rooms together and Dean still had to make a comment.

Sam moved to step past his brother but a hand suddenly wrapped around his forearm, effectively bringing him to a stop. He glanced down at the fingers gripping him then back up at his brother's face, eyebrow arching in question.

"What is it?"

Dean suddenly looked uncomfortable and Sam knew that meant one of two things; Dean was going to talk about feelings or Dean was going to say something that would piss Sam off.

"Sammy, I think you should sit this one out."

The latter. Definitely the latter.

Sam tugged his arm free with a sharp jerk and pursed his lips angrily. "Not gonna happen, Dean. I have to do these trials. Me."

"This isn't an actual trial, remember? I can do this part."

"What, alone?"

Dean shook his head. "I'll take Nia with me."

It was all Sam could do not to reach out and strangle his brother. "You think I can't handle this?" he challenged, trying to keep his voice from rising so this conversation remained private. "Just because I have a little cough from the first trial what?... you think I'm a liability now? You think Thumbelina will have your back better than me?"

"No, Sam. Don't go getting your panties in a twist. I know you're the best there is. Even at less than a hundred percent, there's no one I'd rather have my back. But just coz Nia's small... dude, she can handle herself. She's sharp and she's fierce and she'll take a bullet for me so you don't gotta worry about me not having my six covered."

"Fine," Sam seethed. "Bring her along then. But I'm still going."

Dean's jaw clenched, his frustration clear. "See, Sam, the thing is… Nia and me, we don't have…." He gestured down the hallway towards Lucas's door in lieu of finishing the sentence. "You can't be taking any unnecessary risks anymore. You stick to the actual trials. Me and Nia got this one."

Dean's suggestion, while still coming out of left field, suddenly made much more sense to Sam. That did nothing to lessen his resolve, however. "Don't be stupid," he said firmly. "I'm going to have your back. Me. That's as much my job now as it ever was." His hand lifted and he pointed at the same door Dean had. "Especially now with the stakes so high."

"But you have a son now," Dean pressed. "You have a family you need to be around for."

"You're my family too Dean!" Sam was growing exasperated. Why after all these years did his brother not see his own worth? Why did he not see the pattern of Winchester self-sacrificing that just kept making the situation worse and worse for everyone involved? After all they'd been through, things really hadn't changed that much.

"It's different now and you know it," Dean argued stubbornly. "I'm not your only family anymore."

Sam threw an arm in the air, the pitch of his voice rising with hurt and frustration. "So what, now that I have a son, you're expendable?"

Dean didn't answer but gave Sam a stony look that said all Sam needed to hear. That is exactly how Dean was feeling. He had practically said so himself a month ago at the first trial. That he was a grunt and that all that mattered was Sam getting his happy ending because there wasn't one in the cards for Dean.

Sam sighed heavily. "No Dean, I'm going."

And with that, he walked away.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Dean's mood was heavy when he returned to his room and shut the door behind him with a soft click. He tugged off his jeans and both shirts and crawled into bed next to Jenna, who was on her back watching him quietly. He forced a smile to his face and leaned over her to switch off the lamp, wondering not for the first time how he had ended up with the side of the bed farthest from the door.

As he lay back down, he felt her body press closer and her hand slide across his stomach to drape over him. He shifted his arm so it was under her head and curled it around her shoulder. He had to admit, it felt comforting but nothing could take away the knot of dread he had in his stomach about tomorrow.

He couldn't shield his brother from whatever the next two trials had in store for him but he thought he could have at least convinced him to sit this one out. Sam had told him at the first trial that he saw a light at the end of the tunnel and then not two weeks later, that light showed up in the form of a sweet, shy, cute-as-hell five-year-old boy. Lucas was Sam's happy ending. But now Sam had to survive this twisted tablet-boardgame to get it.

The risks were just so damn high now. Dean had tried to downplay the dangers of this mission but chances were, there was going to be at least a few demons there. Maybe just Gamigin but that seemed unlikely. There could be a lot of demons. Crowley's demons.

As if reading his mind, Jenna spoke out loud, her voice soft in the darkness.

"There's going to be more than one demon there, isn't there?"

He sighed. "Yeah, that'd be my bet."

"I'm coming with you."

"What? No you're not!"

"I know demons," she insisted, unfazed by his commanding tone. "I'm not the girl you knew six years ago, Dean. I can handle myself. I'm coming."

Dean squeezed his eyes shut in frustration, glad for the cover of darkness because he was fairly certain his expression would scare people. First Sam, now Jenna? Well, Sam he couldn't control but no way was he risking both of them.

"Jen, there's no way in Hell you're coming so don't even start with me. What if something goes wrong, huh? If something happens to Sam, you and Ty are the only ones left to protect Luke."

"And who protects you then?" she fired back. "There's more than Luke to worry about now." He could only see the outline of her head, which she had lifted to stare down at him, but he could imagine the determined look she was giving him. Surprisingly, it brought a smile to his face.

"You want to come so you can protect me?" he teased, knowing already he shouldn't find the notion so preposterous.

"Of course." She didn't sound amused. "I just got you and whatever it is we've got here, I like it and like Hell I'm gonna let Crowley's demons take it away from me. They've taken enough."

Her tone was borderline venomous and Dean was at a loss for words for a few long seconds. He couldn't deny hearing the passion behind her words aimed at keeping him safe felt… well, fuck it felt good, if a little unnerving.

"You need to stay here for Luke," he said finally, working his way up to returning the sentiment and again thankful for the cover of darkness. He lifted a hand searching for the side of her face, tapping it clumsily a couple of times in his efforts without the help of light.

"Listen," he continued when he felt her press her cheek into his palm. "I'm good at what I do, okay? And now I got a good reason to make it back home so you just gotta trust me when I say I'm gonna be fine. I'll be a lot better off knowing you and Ty and Luke are here and safe."

"But I know demons," she repeated. "There'll be demons there."

Dean gave a little snort. "Trust me, you're not the only one who's got a history with demons. I know how they think, how they work."

"I have the Bow of Bargaest," she argued stubbornly, her hand now pressed on top of his, holding it against her cheek. "It can kill a demon and it only works for me."

"Three arrows and a novice archer aren't going to make or break this gig," he refuted. "Besides, we're not taking the bow out of that lockbox in case they track it coz then we'll definitely have demons on our asses. Me and Sam will get this damn key but you're staying here where it's safe and where I don't have to worry about you the whole time." He leaned up and gave her a kiss to emphasize his point, thankfully hitting her lips first try. "End of discussion."

She followed him as he lay back down, her lips hovering a few inches above his. Her breath was mingled with minty toothpaste and Dean was sure he was going to get another kiss – and maybe even a _'good luck tomorrow'_ lay – but she folded her hands across his chest instead and rested her chin on them.

"Then I think you should wait a couple of days," she said.

"Wait? I thought you of all people would want this done as soon as possible."

"I just think you should research it more. Maybe do some recon. A couple of days is all I'm asking for."

Dean lifted his head enough to press his lips against hers once more, hoping the distraction would take her mind off her worry. Encouraged when she returned the kiss, he rolled them so he was the one leaning over her, only pulling back for air when she wrapped her arms around his neck and he was convinced she had let the subject go. His hand was making its way under the covers to discover what, if anything, she was wearing when she spoke again.

"I don't want you to go," she said softly.

Dean closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, rolling off to lie on his back at her side. Surprisingly, he hadn't experienced many doubts about whatever this was snowballing between them… until now.

"Jen, this is who I am."

"I know. And I get that but… please just give it one more day."

"Why?" he demanded. "One day isn't going to make a difference. In fact, it gives the demons one more day to figure out what the tablet is for and maybe what's on it. This isn't up for debate. I can't… I can't argue this with you." He paused, waiting for an answer but didn't get one. The silence hung heavily in the darkness. "Can you accept that?" he asked finally.

She remained quiet for another few dragging heartbeats. "Okay."

Her answer didn't sound entirely convincing but at least it was the one he had been hoping for.

"I've made it through Hell, Purgatory, and more than one apocalypse," he told her, trying to sound lighthearted about it. "It's gonna take more than a few third-tier demons to take me out."

She made a non-committal noise that almost sounded like a huff of laughter – almost, not quite.

"Would it help if I told you that Lucas is Men of Letters Legacy too, so as his guardian, if something happens to Sam and me, you get the bunker?"

Another noise but this one was definitely a chuckle. She pushed herself up on her elbow to peer down at him. "So that means I can bring men home here?" she said, her voice teasing.

Dean laughed. "I wouldn't recommend it. I could be haunting you."

"This place is ghost-proofed," she quickly pointed out.

Dean's hand re-started its exploration beneath the covers. "Yeah but I'm resourceful."

She let out a gasp when his fingers found what they were looking for then giggled. "That's not all you are."

Dean grinned and rolled back on top of her, wondering if they had just successfully navigated their second disagreement. In a whole year, he hadn't argued once with Lisa. He had done what she wanted, become what she expected, said what he thought she had wanted to hear, all the while feeling numb inside. Two arguments inside a week and his relationship with Jenna felt so much more real and satisfying and fricking _honest_ than his relationship with Lisa ever had.

He bent down and claimed her mouth fiercely with his, fighting with the now-twisted blanket to shove it out of the way. The danger and anticipation of tomorrow along with the discovery that she was naked had him waking up in all the right ways. He might have convinced Jenna he would make it home safely but he knew that may not be the case and if this was indeed his last night… well, he was damn well going to enjoy it.

Good thing the bunker's walls were solid concrete.

**~X~X~X~X~**

The Winchesters and Nia left at dawn to arrive at the warehouse in Nevada just after dusk. A half hour of surveillance showed no signs of life in the building so they ventured inside. Dean directed both Sam and Nia to different positions with just a few subtle hand signals and chuckled at the look of surprise on his little brother's face when Nia obeyed. He hadn't spoken much about Purgatory and guessed this was the first real indication Sam was getting of how well Dean, Benny, and Nia had worked together over there. It was very similar to what he and Sam shared when on a hunt together. Seamless and effortless and perfectly in sync with each other.

The warehouse was empty. They searched room by room until Sam called the others over to where he had found displaced dust and irregular room dimensions. _God, Dean loved that frigging Mensa geek._

It only took them a few minutes to locate the hidden door and the set of narrow stone steps leading sharply downwards. There were symbols carved along the walls on either side, some Enokian but Dean didn't recognize most of them. He took the lead and after a long, long descent, the three found themselves in a huge stone room with shelves full books lining the walls on three sides and symbols covering the entirety of the stone ceiling. The room was dimly lit, most of the light coming from what resembled a living room in the center of the large space. A couch, a couple of old armchairs, and a floor lamp.

Oh, and a middle-aged man rising from one of the chairs, his face pulled into a scowl around his black eyes.

"Demon!" Nia hissed, drawing her bowstring taught but Sam immediately strode forward and came to a stop a few paces away from him.

"You Gamigin?" he demanded.

Dean took the snarl Sam got in reply as a 'yes' but before any more could be said, the demon charged. Sam stabbed him in the gut with Ruby's knife and it was over in less than three seconds.

"That was easy," the elder Winchester snorted, feeling uneasy. _That was too easy._

He crouched down next to his brother and the two of them started rooting through the dead demon's pockets. Dean's fist closed around an object and he pulled it out to find an oddly shaped piece of metal with carvings all over it. It certainly resembled a key.

"Yahtzee," he grinned, thinking maybe luck had turned their way for once after all.

He was wrong.

They were so close. He had the key _in his damn hand_ when the demons showed up. At least twenty of them, stomping down the stairs one at a time and fanning out to flank the three humans, their faces cold and hateful.

Dean had anticipated a few demon guards so this wasn't entirely unexpected but they just kept on filing in through the door one after the other - the door that was their only exit.

The face off had barely started when one near the middle screamed as an arrow pierced its chest, the Devil's Trap Dean had ordered Nia to etch into all the arrow tips having exactly the desired effect. With the option of trying to negotiate an escape effectively taken off the table by his overeager Purgatory friend, Dean sucked in a preparatory breath and drew his gun.

As soon as the demon hit by the arrow screamed, the rest immediately sprang into action, launching themselves at the Winchesters and Nia.

Dean started firing, wishing now that he had branded more than a single clip of bullets with devil's traps. The demons he did hit didn't go down but rather froze in place, unable to stray from the confines within their bodies but still able to swipe at the hunters. And unfortunately, there were far more demons than bullets.

He saw two more go down with arrows protruding from their bodies before Nia was forced to abandon her stationary position and start moving, ducking and weaving between angry demons taking swings at her as she passed. She kept shooting arrows, having learned to do so on the run, but her bow was not the best weapon for close quarters combat and she soon gave up and drew a familiar, ugly scimitar from inside her jacket.

From the flicker of lights Dean saw in his peripheral, he knew Sam had taken more than one out with Ruby's knife, the only permanently lethal weapon they had between them. Dean's gun then clicked empty and within seconds, two demons were on him. He took a hard hit in the gut that had him doubled over then another that sent him sailing through the air.

He blinked his vision back into focus after slamming into a bookshelf and bringing it toppling to the ground just in time to see his brother take out yet another demon with the knife but there were too many around the younger Winchester and they were closing in.

"Sam!" he shouted in warning but it was too late. Sam took a hard hit to the head from behind and sank to his knees. As Dean scrambled to his feet, he watched Sam twist around and sink the knife into the gut of the demon who had hit him, only to have another kick him in the ribs.

He had to tear his eyes away from the sight to duck a swing from a female demon lunging at him. He threw a jab that landed on her jaw but it did little to deter her attack. He saw his brother hit the ground face first and heard Ruby's knife skitter away across the concrete floor.

"Sam!" he cried instinctively, knowing there was little he could do to help. The female landed a hard punch in his gut and Dean sank to his knees, completely winded. He heard a scream of pain he recognized as Nia's from somewhere in the room and his heart dropped. A wild swing through bleary eyes aimed at the female demon missed its mark and he was struck by another demon on the side of the head. The blow slammed him onto the ground and a male demon dropped on top of him, landing more punches than the battered hunter was able to block.

Even as he kicked and flailed desperately at the demon above him, he knew their mission had failed. He had failed. His brother and the girl he considered equivalent to a sister were about to die. They were both down and Dean could make out at least six or seven demons still on their feet.

Suddenly the demon straddling him stopped raining blows down on him. He heard a hitch of breath and opened his eyes to see a jet of black smoke pouring out of the man's mouth. Dean followed the stream with his eyes, relief and hope swelling within him, but the sight that greeted him sliced through both of those sentiments like a knife. His heart lurched and he lost the ability to breathe as he stared in horror.

Jenna was standing at the bottom of the steps, one arm outstretched into the room. The demon smoke was traveling in an angry stream through the air and funneling right into her mouth. She moved her arm slightly and the demon holding a knife over Sam suddenly screamed and his head also tipped back, another jet of black smoke shooting out of his mouth in an angry swirl and spiraling down Jenna's throat. With more slight twitches of her arm, the rest of the moving demons in the room met the same fate.

When the last of the billowing smoke disappeared, Jenna stopped and lowered her hand, her eyes immediately seeking out Dean's.

Dean just lay where he was, his breath now coming in harsh, ragged pants as he took it all in, wide-eyed and stunned. She wasn't even breaking a sweat. _Seven demons, sucked down her throat like it was childsplay._

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**A/N: **Hope everyone who celebrates it had a good Christmas :) New Year's tomorrow - where the heck did 2013 go? Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter - think Tyler will ever get anywhere with Nia? Dean and Jenna have definitely hit a snag..._


	8. When the Bough Breaks

_**Previously**__: Tyler is quite taken with Nia but she doesn't seem to return the sentiment. Kevin discovers the Bow of Bargaest was actually for the first trial (to kill a Hellhound) and that the tablet has mentioned a key, Gimigin's Key, that may be needed for the second trial. The gang finds out that the key opens one of Lucifer's crypts and Gimigin is the demon who has the key. Tyler says that he overheard Crowley say something about Gimigin staying at an old convent in Beatty, Nevada. Sam is suspicious of Tyler and Jenna, finding their information too convenient but doesn't say anything. When Dean tells Jenna she can't go, she asks him to wait a couple of days but he refuses. Dean, Sam, and Nia go but over twenty demons show up so despite the Devli's Traps they carve on the bullets and the arrows, they are losing the fight... until Jenna shows up._

_**Also, one week earlier:**__ Cas can once again talk to Jimmy but after being trapped inside with the Leviathan for so long, Jimmy is an incoherent mess. Cas needs him sane so he can leave the vessel and Jimmy can pass through the door to warn Dean that Nia plans on turning herself vampire, so he finds a unicorn and drinks its blood in an attempt to fix Jimmy's soul. He feels strange and passes out. _

**~X~X~X~X~**

**CHAPTER 8 – When the Bough Breaks**

Dean just lay where he was, his breath now coming in harsh, ragged pants as he took it all in, wide-eyed and stunned. Jenna wasn't even breaking a sweat. _Seven demons, sucked down her throat like it was childsplay._

He watched as she weaved her way towards him past all the demons who were standing frozen, devil's-trap bullets or arrows still holding them firmly in place. He pushed his way up to his feet and took a step back when she was just a few feet away, halting her with a hand gesture.

"That's close enough."

"Dean," she breathed, her forehead pulled into a concerned frown. "Dean, are you hurt?"

"I thought your powers were gone," he managed, his voice sounding rough and his tone accusing.

"Not exactly." She gave him a one-shouldered shrug and looked around the room. "Good thing too."

"Good?" he managed. He was aware she had just saved their lives but he was having a hard time seeing any part of this as good. "Where are they? The demons…" He pointed to her chest, taking another step back to maintain the distance between them. "They still in there?"

Jenna swallowed and her face flickered with what looked like shame. She nodded. "Yeah, don't worry. I can hold them." She pulled a bottle of spray paint from her jacket and turned away from the hunter. "I'll draw a Devil's trap and send them back downstairs," she said quietly, bending over to start spraying on the floor.

Still stunned, Dean finally tore his eyes from her to search out his brother and Nia. Sam was rising stiffly to his feet and gave Dean a quick nod to indicate he was okay. Nia didn't look as fortunate.

Dean moved quickly over to where she was slumped against the far wall on the floor, clutching her stomach. He crouched down in front of her. "Nee, you good?"

She nodded but he had seen her hurt in battle enough times to know she was in pain. "How bad?" he asked bluntly.

She reached for his hand to help her up. "Three."

Dean couldn't help the grin that flashed across his face as he pulled her to her feet. In Purgatory, the traveling foursome had devised a quick rating system to assess severity of wounds. 'One' was minor cuts and bruises and 'ten' was a hair short of a mortal wound. Three usually meant banged and bruised but no blood and no broken bones. From the stiff and hunched-over way she was moving, he guessed bruised ribs.

He put an arm around her shoulder and they made their way over to Sam, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs watching Jenna with an intense frown. The blonde sprayed the final touches on a giant Devil's trap, one that encompassed all of the demons in the room, and with a quick, nervous glance at Dean, she stood up, turning to face away from the Winchesters and Nia. Black smoke immediately started spiraling out of her mouth and disappeared into the floor with billowing jerks of rage. When it was gone, her shoulders sagged and she took a deep breath before turning around and stepping out of the trap.

"You can send the rest back the old fashioned way," she said quietly, gesturing to the dozen or so demons that were glaring and growling hateful comments at them all.

She stopped once more a few feet from Dean, who just stood there, unable to make himself say anything to her. Sam must have been in far better control of his wits because he cleared his throat and stepped forward to loudly recite an exorcism. Dean's insides were twisted in a tight knot as he watched. He was aware Jenna was looking at him the entire time Sam spoke, never even flinching at the angry chaos behind her of a dozen or so demons fighting against the invisible force dragging them back down through the floor to Hell.

He could still feel her eyes on him when it was over but carefully avoided them as he turned and helped Nia to the stairs while Sam moved among the empty meatsuits looking for survivors. Considering most of them had been shot with either a bullet or an arrow in addition to whatever the demons had put them through, it was surprising two were still alive. Jenna hung back with Sam to try and patch them up best as they could but Dean continued up the stairs, suddenly desperate to get out of there and feel fresh air on his face.

They reached the Impala to find Jenna and Tyler's stolen motorcycle parked next to it. Nia pulled herself up onto the car's hood with a pained grunt. Dean gestured for her to lift the front of her shirt up and cursed at the dark bruises already forming over much of her right side. "None broken?" he asked, ghosting his fingers over her ribs and trying to keep his mind off what had just happened in the room beneath the warehouse.

"Don't think so. How 'bout you?"

He didn't answer, barely feeling the multiple bruises and scrapes he had suffered in the fight through all the emotional turmoil their rescue had brought.

Nia gave him a sympathetic look and pressed her closed fist onto his chest over his heart. "Ten, huh?"

"Damnit," he sighed, appreciating the concern from his friend but not wanting to talk about it.

It wasn't so much that Jenna had the powers, Dean realized. She'd had them six years ago and it hadn't scared him off. It was the lie. She had told him point blank that her powers were gone, that they had faded away after she got away from Crowley and had stopped using them, much like Tyler's and Sam's had. Here he had been thinking he was in his first honest relationship and had been charging forward full steam ahead despite every reservation his past had been throwing in his way... only to discover he was the only one being honest.

"I thought your girlfriend was human," Nia blurted, her head tilted to one side with a curious expression on her face.

Dean just shook his head and shrugged. "She is." He really didn't have much more of a defense right now.

Sam and Jenna emerged from the building to join them, the air instantly becoming heavy with the tension of unasked questions and suspicions. Sam pulled out his phone and opened the Impala's passenger door. "I'm going to call an ambulance for the survivors," he said in an urgent tone. "We need to get out of here fast." He turned to Jenna. "You taking your bike or coming in with us?"

"She's taking her bike," Dean answered for her, heading around to the driver's door. He didn't miss the hurt look on the blonde's face but didn't really care right now.

"We'll meet you at Floyd Lamb Park, North Vegas," Sam told her before shutting his door and grabbing the dash as Dean tromped on the gas pedal, leaving Jenna standing in a cloud of dust.

**~X~X~X~X~**

The forty minute drive was quiet. Sam could tell by the white of his brother's knuckles on the steering wheel that any conversation about what had just happened was best left for later. He wasn't sure what to think of it all himself. Jenna had definitely saved all their asses but how did she still have her powers? Why had she lied about it? What else had she lied about?

They pulled over in the picnic area of the park, which was deserted since it was after dark and the place was officially closed. Jenna parked right behind them and no sooner had she stepped off the bike than Dean was in her face.

"You wanna tell us what the Hell that was?"

Jenna looked taken aback at the anger in his voice but she held her ground. "I pulled the demons and sent them back to Hell," she explained bluntly.

"Fuck, Jen," Dean fumed. Clearly the drive down here had given him the time he needed to process the hurt and shock and turn it into anger. Sam almost felt sorry for the blonde. Disappointing Dean was a failure he was all too familiar with.

"You had them inside you. Do they know about the bunker now?" Dean demanded.

"No!" Jenna exclaimed. "No, I swear, I can contain them a hundred percent. Crowley had me doing this for years, Dean. I can have them in there for ages and they can't read my mind at all, not even a little. They can't see anything I do or hear what I say or know what I'm thinking. I know what I'm doing."

Dean didn't look appeased. "You lied!" he spat, waving an arm in the air. "You lied to me."

"I…"

"Sam's powers went away," Dean interrupted, apparently wanting answers more than excuses. "Tyler's are barely there anymore. Howcome yours are stronger than ever?"

"I must have used mine more."

"More often maybe but they still shoulda gone away by now."

"I pulled a lot of demons for Crowley. I told you that. I had no choice."

"That was all over two years ago, Jen. Two years!"

"I don't know. I guess with me it just never went away."

"Then why'd you say it did?"

Sam guessed from the thick emotion in that last question that it wasn't the powers that were bothering his brother as much as the lie. Dean was feeling hurt and unfortunately, Sam knew it was about to get worse when the real truth came out. The younger Winchester had done a lot of thinking in the car since the warehouse, systematically putting the pieces together in his mind. When he finally figured it out, he was surprised he hadn't done so sooner.

"Crowley fed you demon blood, didn't he?" he blurted.

Jenna's eyes widened and she shot Dean a quick, panicked look. Her mouth dropped open and closed a couple of times before she finally nodded to Sam. "He made me drink it," she stammered. "He forced it down my throat. He didn't give me a choice."

Sam knew there was more to it. "But you're _still_ drinking it."

"What? No…" She shook her head fervently. "No, of course not."

"You're still drinking it," Sam repeated slowly, aware of the stricken look on his brother's face beside him and suddenly feeling tremendously sorry for Dean. This was definitely a touchy subject for the elder Winchester after Sam and Ruby...

"I saw you," Sam continued. "When you sucked those demons in, your eyes went black. You sucked in seven demons like it was nothing and… and you enjoyed doing it."

Jenna's mouth tightened, her eyes growing defiant. "The only thing I enjoyed was saving your asses!"

"That's not exactly a denial," Sam pointed out.

She bit her lip, hesitating. "It's just until I kill Crowley."

Clearly taking that as an admission, Dean threw his arms in the air and started pacing back and forth next to the Impala. "Demon blood! Jesus Christ, Jenna!" he seethed. "When you went out of the bunker those times and you were gone for hours…"

Jenna sighed. "I found a demon up in Hastings the first time, Lincoln the second," she admitted.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Dean ranted. "Demon blood! Fucking _demon blood!"_

"Crowley didn't give me a choice!"

"You've been free and clear of him for two years!" Dean fired back. "Why didn't you stop?"

"It's not that simple."

"Did you even try? You hated your psychic thing, remember?"

"Yeah I did but I need it now! I have a family to protect!"

Sam could see Dean fighting to control his anger and get his emotions back under wraps. It was rare for Dean to lose his temper so openly, a sure sign he was hurting inside. The elder Winchester rolled his shoulders and finally leaned back against the hood of the Impala next to Nia, who was sitting cross-legged on top of it watching the drama with what Sam could only describe as impartial curiosity.

"Well not anymore," Dean said finally, his voice almost cold. "We protect them now so you better get prepared to dry out, sweetheart."

Jenna shook her head. "No. Not yet. As soon as Crowley's dead, I swear I'll stop. But not now. I still need it."

"No you don't," Dean rebutted.

"Yes I do!"

"No, you fucking don't!"

"Yes I do! After today you can't say I don't need it. I need to keep everyone safe. I can't do that without it."

Sam stepped forward, seeing the back and forth between Dean and Jenna escalating fast and going nowhere good.

"Jenna, you don't need it," he said firmly. "I've been there. Trust me, I know the hold it has on you. And I know the way your mind will twist the facts and your intentions until you justify it but… but you don't need it."

"I do." Her defiance was not wavering. "Until Crowley's dead."

Sam exhaled loudly in frustration at her obstinacy. "How did you know where Gimigin was?" he deflected, remembering his suspicions about the way Tyler had conveniently remembered overhearing Crowley saying where the demon with the key stayed.

"If I know the demon's name, I can find them," Jenna reminded them. "Topside or in the pit, it works the same way. This power… I'm so strong with it. I mean, you saw what I just did."

"That's why you wanted to come," Dean blurted. "And why you wanted us to wait a couple of days when I said you couldn't. You were going to come and do this yourself."

She nodded. "I didn't want to lose you, okay? I just wanted you to stay safe. I was trying to keep you alive."

"Don't you dare put this shit on me!" Dean shouted, pushing himself off the car to start his pacing again.

"Not just you. I can protect Luke and Tyler with it too."

Dean practically growled. "No, you don't get anywhere near Luke with demon juice pulling your strings."

"You don't understand. I have to protect him… for Quinn."

"Luke's safe now," Sam interjected again. "And Tyler's safe now. They're safe with Dean and me in the bunker." He sighed, reluctant to say the next part. "But they're not safe with you on demon blood."

He saw Jenna's jaw drop in horror. "Sam, God no, please don't take him away from me."

"I'm not," he assured her. "I would never but..."

"You don't get…"

"But you can't be around him when you're high on demon blood," he finished decisively. "Look, I've been there. I know what happens to you. There are moments when it gets the better of you, when things that mean the most to you suddenly don't matter as much anymore." He gave Dean an apologetic glance, remembering choking him in that expensive hotel room, leaving him gasping on the floor both physically and emotionally wrecked while Sam headed off with Ruby to ultimately let Lucifer out of his cage.

"Things become clouded. You become cold, distant, heartless. A danger to those you love the most." He frowned, small details coming back to him. "That night you went out right after you got to the bunker, you were juicing up, right?"

Jenna nodded. "I had to use a lot of my strength at the house on Oklahoma. The two demons that Dean killed had binding marks but I took out the rest before you got there."

"That's why they brought a tranquilizer!" Dean exclaimed. "Because they can't get near you."

"Exactly." Jenna jumped on the comment. "I can protect you all, see? I…"

Sam stopped her before she could go any further. "Tyler slept in Lucas's room that night," he stated. "Not you. Luke can tell, can't he? He knows when you juice up."

Jenna's face blanched and she gave Sam a desperate look. "Sometimes, just for the first day or so after I top up, he seems to sense it but it's…"

"You mean it scares him," Dean corrected. "_You_ scare him."

"He knows I would never hurt him." She looked back to Sam, her eyes wild now. "I would never hurt him."

"I know. I know you love him but…" Sam steeled himself, "…but he's mine to protect now and one of Azazel's psychics high on demon blood? I'm sorry, I can't allow my son to be around that."

"No, please, Sam, don't…"

"I'm sorry, Jenna, but no." Sam felt no guilt about taking control and putting his foot down. He would be forever grateful to Jenna for what she had done for Lucas so far but he was Sam's son, not hers. He wouldn't have wanted the boy around him four years ago when he had been drinking the stuff himself so he wasn't going to make an exception for Jenna.

"Unless you dry out, you can't be around him."

"Okay," she gushed immediately, her voice near panic. "Okay. Fine. I'll stop. As of right now, I'll never touch the stuff again."

"It's not that easy," Sam informed her.

"Of course it is. I can stop anytime."

"I was on it for months. You've been on it for years."

"I'll stop, I promise."

"What's the longest you've gone without?"

She shrugged. "Couple of months."

Sam doubted that. "The truth."

"A few days."

Dean groaned. "This is gonna be a shitstorm."

No," Jenna argued. "No, I can do it." She moved towards Dean who backed off immediately, giving her another cold look. "I can," she assured him, sounding desperate. "It might be a little rough but I can do it."

Dean studied her intently for a long few seconds. "You serious about kicking it?"

"Of course I'm serious. I won't leave the bunker, I swear. You can keep your eye on me the whole time, make sure I don't slip."

Sam winced, remembering how volatile his detox had been when Dean and Bobby had locked him in the panic room.

The same thought must have occurred to Dean because he shook his head. "We can't let Luke see this."

"I can hide it from him," Jenna said dismissively. "I've been doing it for years."

"Not this," Dean snorted. "You won't be able to hide this."

"He's right," Sam agreed. "You have no idea what you're in for. This… Jenna, this could kill you."

She swallowed. "If it's the only way you'll let me stay in Luke's life, then bring it on."

Dean rubbed his hand down over his face. "Give us a second, would ya?" he said brusquely before steering Sam away by the elbow. "The boat," he said as soon as they were out of earshot.

"What?" Sam wasn't following.

"Garth's boat. He's got a panic room on there. That little closet off the main room. Said Bobby helped him make it. She can dry out there."

Sam wasn't sure that was a good idea. "What about Kevin?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "You saw him. Kid needs someone there anyway, someone to stick around and make sure he eats more than hot dogs and Red Bull. Maybe get him to turn up the juice on his prophet decoder ring and figure out the next trial before we're grey haired and pullin' our pants up too high."

Sam closed his eyes to think but couldn't come up with a better place for this to happen now that Bobby's house and panic room were gone. He nodded. "Okay, I'll take her."

"No, you stay _with your son."_ The last three words were spoken deliberately, as if making a point. "I'll take her."

Sam studied his brother for a moment, hesitant. He had wanted to spare Dean. "You know her body may not be able to take it, right? It's been years."

"I know."

"What happens if it comes to that? You willing to let her die?"

Dean's jaw tightened. "We're closing the gates of Hell, Sam," he pointed out. "Cutting off her supply for good. She doesn't have a choice. It's sink or swim here."

"Yeah, guess it is. I'm sorry."

Dean gave him a puzzled look. "What for?"

"I know you liked her and you're disappointed."

His brother snorted. "Disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it."

They made their way back over to the women, both of whom were sitting on the hood of the Impala in silence. Dean jutted his chin out to Jenna. "You're coming with me to Warsaw," he said curtly before turning to Nia. "Nee, I need you to stay at the bunker. I might be gone a while."

"Can't I go with you?"

"Not really room there. Besides, we can't afford to distract Kevin any more than we are. I'm asking you to stay with Sam. Think you can do that for me?"

She frowned but nodded.

"And don't kill anyone 'till I get back."

"Can't promise anything." She grinned at him and Sam couldn't help think she didn't look all that much like she was joking. He began to worry about how she was going to cope with not having Dean around. What if she turned volatile? On the flip side, he didn't want her to sink so low she would try to turn herself into a vampire again while on his watch.

"Okay, one more thing." Dean gestured towards the bike, wincing with trepidation. "Nee, will you get on that thing with Sam?"

Sam groaned, realizing he shouldn't be surprised that Dean wasn't giving him the Impala. He hated motorcycles. He had long legs and Jenna's bike wasn't all that big.

"Okay," Nia nodded.

"Really?" Dean raised an eyebrow, clearly surprise at how easily Nia had agreed. Sam remembered his brother warning him how the girl felt about physical contact with people she didn't trust implicitly and was a little surprised himself. She would have to hang on to him tightly on the back of a bike.

Nia smiled. "Cas says he admires Sam," she said simply. "He trusts him."

Sam smiled sadly at the statement, feeling a renewed pang of loss over his angel friend. "I admire him too," he said softly, the common link of Cas giving him reason to feel a little more optimistic about having Nia around without Dean there as a buffer. "He's a good friend."

Dean nodded briskly and put Nia's bow and the other weapons away in the trunk before pointing to the Impala's passenger door. "Get in," he ordered Jenna gruffly.

The blonde nodded solemnly and obeyed. As they drove off, Sam watched with a heavy heart and wondered if Lucas would ever see the woman he called 'Mommy' again.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Riding with Nia behind him was awkward at first. She wasn't really holding on very tight and was clearly trying to keep space between their bodies on a bike that didn't really allow for it. Fairly certain she was in some pain after the repeated kicking he had seen her take from a demon just an hour ago, Sam figured that might be a factor as well as her aversion to physical contact so he didn't push. He simply took extra care not to start off or speed up too quickly lest she topple off the back.

She claimed to have never been on a motorcycle before and certainly hadn't looked pleased when Sam insisted she wear the helmet but she seemed to get the hang of leaning with him quite quickly despite only holding on with two fists wrapped in the back of his jacket.

Everything changed, however, as soon as they hit the highway and picked up some speed. She let out an excited cheer in Sam's ear and within minutes, had her slim arms wrapped tightly around his waist and was shouting at him to go faster. Her glee was alarmingly infectious and the hunter found himself giving in to her enthusiastic persuasions.

In the few days Nia had been at the bunker, she had hardly spoken to anyone but Dean. She spent most of her time off in the back rooms somewhere rather than in with the rest of them in the main living areas, only coming out to get more ice cream from the freezer.

He smiled to himself at the thought. Girl sure loved her ice cream. So much so, in fact, he wasn't all that surprised when she pestered him every hour or so from Flagstaff onward to stop for some until he finally relented and pulled off at a 24-hour Dairy Queen in Albuquerque.

Stiff, overtired, and extremely thankful for the brief reprieve from riding, he leaned on the bike, drinking a coffee and waiting patiently while she licked her cone like it was the first one she'd ever had. Half way through, she looked up at him, a dollop of white on the tip of her nose.

"No ice cream in Purgatory," she grinned.

Sam chuckled and realized there were many different layers to this girl. She wasn't just the peculiar and quiet figure slinking about the bunker, watching its inhabitants interact but seldom joining in. Dean had certainly been right about her being able to handle herself in a fight. She had been fierce and fearless against the demons and it was clear she had Dean's hard-earned respect, but Sam could tell his brother saw a lot more in her than a fighter and suspected he was finally getting a glimpse of what that was.

It would seem she had a sweet side.

Petite, intense amber eyes, dark hair, possible Middle-eastern or East Indian heritage. She was pretty - not a stunner but cute all the same. Her smile, however, lit up her entire face and demanded reciprocation in a way few other smiles did. It was certainly endearing. Sam could suddenly see how that would appeal to the usually grave and serious Cas… and how the 'crazy' would probably not have even be noticed by the socially-challenged angel. Maybe they weren't such an odd couple after all.

She had seemed young and even naïve when he had first met her but after five days of subtle scrutiny and further assessment, he realized she was neither. Quite the opposite, in fact. Her level of devotion to Dean, Benny and most of all Cas, wasn't something that could be formed without having known equal measures of some contradictory sentiment. You didn't fight that hard and that fiercely without depth of harsh experience having either numbed your sensibilities or strengthened your will, maybe both.

Sam realized he was staring when she tilted her head sideways and frowned at him. He pushed up from the bike quickly and rolled his shoulders, trying to work out the kinks before embarking on the next leg of their sixteen hour trip.

"I can cut your hair, if you want," she offered out of the blue.

"What?" Sam instinctively raised his hand to his treasured locks. "No. No way."

"I cut Dean's all the time in Purg." She flashed him that grin again. "With a knife," she added.

He huffed and quickly flattened his hair best he could with both hands. "It's fine," he insisted. "I don't need it cut. It's just because of the wind."

She rolled her eyes and sucked the last morsel of ice cream out of the bottom half inch of cone before popping it in her mouth and wiping her hands on her cargo pants.

Sam took that as a cue she was ready to go and fished the Honda key out of his pocket. He tossed the rest of his coffee in a nearby trash can but let out a sigh when he turned to look down at the bike. He badly wanted to get home to the bunker and Luke – _wow, he had just called it home_ – but his head was pounding and his muscles were cramped and aching and another eight hours hunched over with his knees bent was a daunting prospect.

He had been mulling over stealing a car for the last six hours but since he was returning to Tyler with bad news about Jenna, he thought it cruel to ditch the kid's bike as well. There was only one other option.

He glanced round at Nia. "You mind if we grab a motel room, get a few hours sleep?"

A flicker of fear crossed her features and she narrowed her eyes at him for a couple of heartbeats before making an obvious conscious effort to neutralize her expression.

"We can get back on the road first thing in the morning." He felt a twinge of pity at the show of fear she had let slip and wondered again what had happened to her in Purgatory to make her so distrustful. He was about to suggest two rooms to appease her worry but withdrew the offer before voicing it. If left her alone, he couldn't be sure she wouldn't simply take off, either back to Benny or off on her own. She was obviously a troubled individual and Sam's compassionate side felt a sudden overwhelming urge to help her.

Nia was also Sam's first glimpse into Dean's missing year. It was obvious Dean cared about her more than he was willing to admit and with his brother feeling the sting of betrayal once more from Jenna and possibly having yet to face losing her altogether if she didn't survive the detox, Sam was going to ensure he didn't have to worry about Nia too while he was gone.

As if that wasn't motivation enough, it was glaringly evident that Nia loved Cas very much. Sam may not have the 'profound bond' his brother did with the angel but he considered him family and would have died for him willingly. He didn't know how to get him out of Purgatory but he could at least look after his... was girlfriend the right word?

"Come on," he urged gently. "Cas would have my ass if I got so tired I rode us off the road. You can guard while I sleep."

That seemed to work because she nodded and her shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Okay, but you better not snore like your brother."

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**A week ago…**_

Castiel awoke facing upwards, stones digging into his back where he lay. His first thought was directed to determining how much time had passed since his fight with the unicorn but the gap in his memory was complete and no answer could be derived.

His second thought was of Nia, a memory of her small, sad voice praying through the Purgatory portal, telling him of her plan to join him here.

That thought immediately steered him to search out Jimmy Novak's consciousness within the body they shared, hoping beyond reason that the man was lucid enough to complete the task at hand. Cas had consumed a large quantity of unicorn's blood and could still feel the thrum of healing magic coursing through Jimmy's veins. It didn't seem to be affecting his diminished celestial powers but with any luck, Jimmy's tortured soul would be healed.

Ah! There he was. '_Jimmy?' _ he ventured silently. There was no need to speak aloud.

No reply.

'_Jimmy, I need your help.'_

'_What did you do to me?'_ came the reply. _'Why did you do that?'_

Cas frowned and cocked his head sideways. _'What do you mean? I was attempting to heal you. Are you sane? Has it worked?'_

There was the silent version of a long, drawn out moan of pain and anguish_. 'Uuuuunnnnnnhhhh. Make it go away.'_

Cas didn't understand._ 'Make what go away? The unicorn blood has repaired your soul from the damage inflicted by the leviathan. You are coherent. This is a good thing.'_

'_No,' _Jimmy whimpered._ 'I remember everything. I don't want to. Make it go away again.'_

Cas winced. Healing the soul had inadvertently restored Jimmy's memories of the damage being done in the first place. Sam Winchester was a testament to how destructive those types of memories could be.

'_Perhaps someone can grant you that request someday but I am unable to do so in my current state. I know I have cost you dearly but I have one last favor to ask of you.'_

Silence.

'_I am going to send you home, Jimmy. I will leave you and take you to the door out of Purgatory.'_

'_Make it stop.'_ Another whimpering plea.

'_I cannot,'_ Cas repeated, his thought conveying the sincere regret he felt and the truth in his statement. 'Jimmy, will you help me? Nia's life is in danger.'

Cas felt a little surge of something positive erupt from Jimmy.

'_You love her.' _

It was an oddly blunt statement. _'Yes I do,'_ Cas confirmed.

'_I remember your feelings, the way you thought of her – the way you're thinking of her now – it's pleasant.'_

'_Will you help her then?'_

_I can't. I can't. I can't. I need this to stop. Castiel, please, make it stop.'_

'_I'm sorry,' Cas_ said sincerely. _'On Earth, with my celestial powers, I could block your awareness but I lack the ability to do so here. But, my friend, if you get home, after you tell Dean what Nia is planning, you will eventually die. When your soul enters Heaven, I assure you, these bad memories will be no more.'_

Jimmy fell silent so Cas turned to start walking in the direction of the gully where the portal home was located. Jimmy was far from stable enough to give the angel any measure of confidence that he could pull off the simple task of even getting himself to a phone and calling Dean to relay the message about Nia, but his good-hearted vessel was the only option he had. Cas had to take his chances. He estimated he was almost a week's march away from the portal and he sent a silent plea to his Father that he wouldn't be too late.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Dean didn't say a single word until they hit Colorado. Dawn was breaking and the breathtaking beauty of the first rays of sun peering over the Rockies up ahead only succeeded in fueling his hurt and anger at not being able to enjoy the sight.

Demon blood. Of all the things she could have lied about, of all the ways she could have screwed up… demon blood.

His entire body was tense and he kept his eyes trained forward, not wanting to look at the woman in his passenger seat for fear he lose his cool again. Damnit, it had only been a couple of weeks. It wasn't like he was in love with her... at least he had been trying to convince himself of that for the last eight hours. He really shouldn't feel this hurt, this let down, this betrayed.

Maybe he should have seen it coming. After all, it was pretty fucking hard to miss the pattern here. Getting let down by those he cared about most had become the norm for him. Sam, Cas, Dad, even Bobby for dying then not going with his reaper like he was supposed to. He always gave everything he had but just couldn't seem to get anyone to return the favor. What the Hell was wrong with him?

He wasn't even sure where his anger was directed anymore; at Jenna for lying or at himself for losing that clarity he had found in Purgatory. He was a hunter and hunters didn't get to play house with whimsical notions of romance and family. How had he forgotten that so quickly? He had started to think he could have something more than the lonely hunter's life, that he could have a relationship and maybe even a family, especially with Sam now having one.

"I have to tell you something else," Jenna said quietly, breaking their eight hour long streak of deafening silence.

Dean didn't reply, just rolled his neck and concentrated on staring forward. He wasn't ready to hear her apologies or excuses.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment the whole drive?" Her tone was sad, not challenging, but her words made Dean feel childish enough that he threw her a quick, cool glance.

He heard her sigh. "I have another demon in me," she blurted.

That got his attention. He whipped his head around to face her, barely aware his mouth was gaping open as he struggled for words. "What? Tell me you mean metaphorically."

She swallowed, no doubt in reaction to his less than friendly tone, and shook her head.

"I have one more inside. One I didn't expel with the ones from the convent."

"Why not?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why would you hang on to one?"

"It was one I already had. I've had him inside for about three weeks. He's the owner of the Bow of Bargaest. See, I don't have a demon-killing knife like you and Sam so when I found out about this Bow that could kill anything, I researched and researched until I found out that the demon who owned it was called Piedre Bertrand. That was his name when he was human, anyway. So I located him and I took him in and that's why the bow works for me... because I control him."

Dean absorbed the new information, the stony set of his jaw the only indication of his extreme discontentment.

This just kept getting worse.

He swerved suddenly and pulled the Impala onto the gravel shoulder of the highway, coming to a complete stop before twisting in his seat to face his passenger. "I'm gonna draw a devil's trap in the dirt out there and you're gonna spit that sucker out."

"Dean, I can't… Dean!... Dean!"

He ignored her protests as he got out and slammed his door behind him, forcing her out the other side to finish her argument.

"Dean, think about it! If I send this guy back to Hell, I lose control of the bow. We may need it."

"I'm not having a demon riding shotgun in my car!"

"If I dry out, or whatever you call it, I won't be able to hold him. He'll get out or at the very least, he'll be able to see where we are and maybe hear what's going on."

It's seemed to Dean she was making his point for him. "All the more reason you need to spit him out now, Jen!"

"No, wait! Listen. Do you have a lockbox?"

"What for?"

She looked tired. Tired and hurt and ashamed and he almost felt bad for her for the briefest of seconds. Almost. The pain in his own chest made quick work of that sentiment.

"I can put it in a lockbox just in case…" She raised a hand as if to stop his rebuttal before he could voice it. "Just in case we need the bow again in the future."

He paused, trying to clear the emotions out of his head so he could think clearly.

"You can't kill it," she pointed out, seeing his pause as an opportunity to further her case. "It's not like I'm going to push it into somebody so we can stab them with your knife. And if I send it back to Hell, then a demon still has control over the bow and you don't think they'll come looking for it?"

Dean made a low growling sound but had to admit, she had a point. There was no way in Hell she was ever taking the demon back into her, but until he could figure out how to gank it without killing someone, he would keep it contained. He opened the trunk and pulled out one of the lockboxes kept in there to safely handle cursed objects should the brothers come across one on a hunt.

Jenna gave him a pleading look but he refused to turn away. As soon as the black jet of smoke came streaming out of her mouth, he regretted his decision for a whole new slew of unpleasant thoughts made their way into his mind.

He slammed the lockbox shut, surprised the demon could be compressed into such a small space and hoping it hurt the son of a bitch.

Back on the road, he managed to hold out for three minutes before his mind acknowledged the dark thoughts lurking in there and he couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"You had that demon in you for three weeks," he said slowly, his voice a low growl.

Jenna nodded.

"You had that demon in you at night, when we were in bed, when we…" He couldn't force the rest of the words out.

She nodded again. "It was deep in there, Dean. It wasn't aware of anything that was going on."

Dean exploded. "But there was still a demon in there! I mean, it's not like I haven't had a threesome before but this brings a whole new meaning to the word!"

She said nothing, which only left more room for his unwanted feelings to finally spill out.

"You left the bunker on your second day there to juice up. You were amped up on demon blood that first night you came into my room and took your robe off. That wasn't even really you."

"Yes it was, of course it was."

"It could have been the demon blood talking."

"It was me. Just me."

"But how can I know that?"

"You have to believe me. That was me who wanted to come see you that night." Her tone was pleading, her voice almost desperate. "I regretted not staying with you and Sam six years ago and I can't even tell you how many times I thought of you when Crowley had us. I wanted that, Dean. I've wanted that for a long time. Me. All me. I give you my word."

"Your word doesn't hold much sway with me right now, sweetheart."

"I'm still the same person you knew before. It's still me."

Dean just shook his head. "Far as I'm concerned, the last time I saw Jenna Harrison was six years ago," he said bitterly. "And right now, I wish it had stayed that way."

She fell silent and looked away. As he drove on into the mountains, he realized she was crying but he just couldn't muster any words of comfort, his own wounded heart having none to spare.

**~X~X~X~X~**

_**A/N:**__ Sam has some family-time next chapter as he faces telling Tyler, tries to help Nia, and takes on Daddy-duty. Dean has his hands full. Cas is ready to take a chance._


End file.
